Keep Your Friends Close, Keep Your Enemies Closer
by Kodiak Bear Country
Summary: [COMPLETE]The team gets stranded in space, and go in search of another way home, only to come across a derelict Hive ship. What they find inside changes everything they've come to know.
1. One Gate, Two Gate

AN: Welcome aboard for a new adventure in the Pegasus Galaxy! Someone asked if I intend to build upon my previous stories and my answer is somewhat. I will probably write stories outside of that, and some that refer to events in the other stories. As always, your feedback is HUGE and I appreciate it greatly. You all are the motivation to do this so I thank you! I write for you guys and knowing what you like and don't like is important. There are some slight spoiler's and references to 38 Minutes and The Defiant One. It took me a little bit to come up with a new plot but I fleshed it out this morning and got started on it. I hope you all enjoy.

**Keep Your Friends Close, Keep Your Enemies Closer…**

* * *

**Chapter One**

**One Gate, Two Gate**

* * *

Major John Sheppard stared at the controls with a mixture of animosity and tired despair. His team had finished surveying a planet as a potential source of a ZPM. Their survey had turned up nothing but stones. He was dirty and sore and wanted to get back to Atlantis and sleep for a very, very long time. 

"Major?" Lieutenant Ford turned to him, the question written across his face.

Sheppard shrugged, "It won't open."

McKay looked away from Teyla, and frowned at Sheppard. "What do you mean it won't open?"

"I _mean_ it won't open." Sheppard drawled. He gestured at the gate which hung dead in space.

"Did you dial the right symbols?"

"No McKay, I didn't think to make sure I dialed right. I figured I'd let you have the honor of saving the day." Sheppard knew he and McKay sniped frequently but he wasn't expecting the wince that crossed McKay's face at his words.

Sheppard was about to ask what he'd said when McKay cut off his thoughts, "The symbols are right." Rodney muttered. He punched more of the buttons and waited expectantly. One second crawled into two, than three and still McKay stood rooted, watching for the typical splash of the event horizon.

Teylastudied themanxiously from the seat she was occupying to the rear of the men. The Ancient technology was unknown to her and though she trusted the men and women she had come to know from Earth, she was still uncertain about the Stargate's. This wouldn't be the first time they had been stuck in space and she was loath to relive anything close to that previous experience.

"McKay?" Sheppard prompted when Rodney failed to provide an explanation.

"I don't know." He answered, staring absently at the orbiting artifact that stubbornly refused to cooperate.

Ford wasn't pleased with his answer. "Aren't you supposed to know how these things work?"

McKay turned towards Ford, irritation lining his face, "I know how they work Lieutenant, that doesn't mean I can magic myself into space and figure out why _this_ one isn't working."

"So…" Sheppard said, crossing his arms and pushing himself into the back of the chair, "We either wait for Atlantis to investigate why we're overdue, or…"

"We look for another way home." McKay finished.

"Yes." Sheppard confirmed.

"We won't be overdue for another day." Ford said. They had taken less time to account for the mysterious power reading. The planet was experiencing geothermal activities, a good source of power but nowhere near the output of a zero point module.

"Exactly." Sheppard confirmed. He knew what he wanted but as the leader of his team he needed input from the other members before deciding on a course of action.

Ford looked at McKay and Teyla. "There's got to be another gate nearby?"

"There might." Rodney answered, his attention turning to the controls. He tried a few buttons then poked Sheppard in the arm, "Major?"

Sheppard grinned. McKay had learned a lot and with his gene therapy had been able to do more with the Ancient's tech, but the Jumper was his specialty. He concentrated on a way home and a map coalesced in front of them. "Good enough?"

"I'd say so." Rodney was examining the route. "This is incredible, we should be there in less than a day. Atlantis will never know we had a problem." He enthused.

Teyla wasn't as excited. An unpleasant thought had occurred to her. "They won't know where we are. If anything happens…"

"Stop being so negative, nothing is going to happen." Rodney snapped, trying to assure her in his socially inept way.

Sheppard caught the dirty look Teyla fixed on McKay's back and bit back a laugh. "We'll be fine." He said. "We can leave a beacon in case they come looking for us." He leaned towards Rodney and lowered his voice. "We _can_ leave a beacon, right?"

"Yes, yes." McKay said, working the controls. "Just like…" and he pushed one last button. Everyone felt the ship lurch slightly with the dispersal of a locator beacon. "That will track our position. They find the beacon, they find us."

"All right then, McKay, you want to fly?" Sheppard was tired and they had at least twenty hours of flight time in empty space. He might as well get some sleep while he could.

"Where are you going?" McKay asked.

Sheppard stood, pushing his hand into the arch of his back and trying to stretch against tight muscles. "_I_ am going to take a nap." He stated.

"Oh."

John waved at his seat. "Have fun. Wake me in a couple of hours. And remember," he enunciated his words carefully, "Never fly and drink."

Teyla stared at his retreating back then looked at Ford and McKay in confusion. "Why can McKay not drink and fly?

* * *

John found himself in a cold room. He breathed out slowly, a puff of mist from the hot air being cooled instantly. He clapped his hands together trying to generate some warmth. The room looked like a ship's bridge. It was dark and dead, an air of danger permeated his senses. He walked cautiously, searching for any signs of life, and tripped, falling hard onto his belly. He pushed himself into a sitting position, rubbing his wrists that ached with pain after bearing the brunt of catching his weight. He glanced back to find what had tripped him. He sucked in air, and scrabbled back. A wraith's dead eyes were fixed upon him, almost accusatory. He felt his heart pounding and a clamminess spreading over his body. He had to get out of here, the wraith! 

"Sheppard!"

John jumped off the bench, reaching for his gun.

Rodney leapt back, startled by the Major's sudden action. "Major?"

John's eyes focused on McKay. He was watching John with a stunned expression. "Bad dream." He said hoarsely.

McKay cleared his throat, "I got that."

John dropped himself back on the bench, rubbing his hands over his face, trying to eradicate the remnants of his nightmare. "What's our ETA?"

McKay continued to watch him. Sheppard looked like hell. Whatever it was, it must've been some dream.

"McKay." John said, uncomfortable under Rodney's stare.

Rodney jerked, "Sorry." He grimaced, "You sure you're okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I'm fine. ETA?" He prompted.

McKay shifted, "About that…"

Sheppard's face hardened. "_About that_ what?"

"We've found something."

"What?" Sheppard had a bad feeling. "Let me guess…a wraith ship?"

McKay's jaw dropped, "How did you know?"

Sheppard couldn't help but think they ought to turn around right now and go back to the other gate. Something bad was up ahead; every sense he had was screaming it. "A little birdie told me."

McKay's brow furrowed, "This is serious."

John sighed. "I know. Come on McKay, let's see what's going on."

* * *

"You know their life signs won't register if they're hibernating." Sheppard argued. 

McKay paled. "I know that, look…" He stabbed the read-out; "I think the Ancient's had a way of detecting them when they were hibernating. You see these three numbers?" McKay indicated the display, there was a large number to the left followed by two zeros.

"So what's the big number?" Ford asked.

"I think that's how many are dead." McKay replied, studying the ship before them. There were no signs of life; it hung in space, drifting and lifeless.

"That's a big assumption." Sheppard said. He was staring at it the same as all of them. He wanted intel on the Wraith, probably more than anyone, but he couldn't get past the earlier mission that had cost the lives of two scientists that should've never been placed in that position in the first place. Investigating a wraith ship was a lot more dangerous then he had believed and he wasn't willing to repeat that disaster.

"Major, there isn't anyone here that does not understand the risk." Teyla pointed out. She understood the Major's reluctance but they knew the stakes were high. The weight of the galaxies inhabitant's weighed on their shoulders.

Sheppard considered her words. He knew she was right but his earlier nightmare continued to haunt him. "What _if_ they're dead? What killed them?"

"I don't know, but shouldn't we find out? It could be the weapon we need to save Atlantis and everyone else." McKay argued.

"I don't like this." Sheppard said. "This is a bad idea."

Ford disagreed with the Major and sided with McKay. They needed the information from the derelict ship. Whatever had killed those wraiths could only help them. "We need to find out Major. The Wraith will eventually find Atlantis, and when they do, we need to be prepared."

Sheppard looked at each member of his team. They were steadfast and certain. He sighed. He had nothing more than a bad dream to blame for his uneasiness. He didn't believe in much related to the paranormal and the dream could've come from their earlier venture into the downed ship. "Fine, we'll do this, but stay sharp. At the first sign of anything, we're out of there." He turned his gaze back to the hulk. "There's a landing bay, right?"

McKay nodded, "Basically."

Sheppard took a deep breath, steadied his shoulders and slid into the pilot's seat. "Let's go." To himself he mentally added a fervent wish that he wouldn't come to regret this decision.


	2. Wraith Ghosts

AN: Thanks for the reviews! Redick, I think I like being compared to a Christmas present! JasonElizabethJohnTeylaForever (could you have picked a longer nick!), yes the dreams are part of the story and actually tie it to Ice Planet but more of that to come. I try to not comment much on plot so as not to spoil anything. As always, I hope you enjoy and take the time to review letting me know what you think.

* * *

**Chapter Two**

**Wraith Ghosts**

* * *

Sheppard manned the controls, deftly bringing the Jumper into the Hive ship's landing bay, or as McKay put it, what _passes_ for a landing bay. He wasn't sure of their exact location. Every time they had gotten into one of these monstrosities, they had to leave before gathering much in the way of schematics. 

Sheppard peered out the view screen, straining to see any detail but only blackness reflected back. "It's a little dark."

McKay stood, sliding into his vest. "Probably the power's out."

Ford leaned towards the screen beside Sheppard, "Haven't they heard of emergency lighting?"

Sheppard stood, clapping a hand warmly on Ford's shoulder and grinning cockily, "You can offer them upgrades next time Scotty."

Ford's lip twisted in a partial smile and grimace at the same time. Sheppard figured it was the thought of actually meeting another live Wraith. Their recent encounters hadn't been stellar.

John looked at Teyla. She was tightening her weapon strap and seemed resolved. "Teyla?"

She met his eyes, "I am ready."

"I don't think I need to tell you that this is dangerous." He said, addressing all of them. "We stick together, and stay alert. Ford, you take the lead, I'll bring up our six. If anything happens to Ford or myself, you get back to the Jumper and get the hell out of dodge, is that clear?" Sheppard instructed gruffly.

Heads nodded but Sheppard read the expressions on Teyla and McKay's, even Ford's face. It read something along the lines of a cold day in hell. He sighed; he couldn't fault their loyalty. He didn't know if he'd be able to leave any of them behind to save the others. He hoped it wouldn't come to that. "I mean it." He said more forcefully.

"Major, while this is very touching, we should go. We don't know how much time we'll have. If we take to long, Atlantis will come looking for us." McKay interjected, impatient to get this over with. Traipsing around a Hive ship was not what he had bargained for when he signed up for this one-way trip to the Pegasus galaxy. For that matter, most of what they had been doing hadn't been what he had bargained for.

"Point taken McKay. Ford, after you." Sheppard said, a rueful smile. He hadn't been intentionally delaying but he wasn't rushing out of the door either. "You've got the life-signs detector, right?"

"Yes, yes." McKay answered, "Life-signs detector, who named that?"

Ford led the team warily out the rear hatch of the Jumper, smiling at the conversation. "The Major did. In fact, he told me not to name anything else."

Sheppard straightened his collar, "And rightly so, Gate Ship One?"

"There was nothing wrong with that, it's a ship that goes through the gate, perfectly logical." McKay defended, his voice echoing as they left the jumper and entered the Hive ship.

* * *

Sheppard swung his P-90 in a wide arc, the beam of light piercing the shadowy gloom that surrounded his team. The light revealed the diaphanous walls and an empty corridor behind. He fought back an internal shiver. This place was creepy. The walls reminded him of the insides of a cocoon. That's what a Hive ship was, one massive, self-propelled, cocoon. 

He stumbled under a sharp wave of dizziness, reaching out to the wall for support. He couldn't hold back the involuntary gasp of shock as a cold so deep and bitter washed over him. _What the hell_? He turned quickly, realizing he no longer had his weapon. "Teyla?" He called for the nearest team member. She had been only an arms length ahead.

His head began to ache, from the cold he surmised. It felt as if he were immersed in a deep freeze. He felt a fear he had never known before. It seeped into his bones with the cold. He whirled, fists ready. "McKay!" He shouted.

A hideous face approached out of the wispy dark ahead. It was pulled taut into a scream. It was floating. _Floating? _Sheppard hoped this was the point where he'd wake, safe on the Jumper, and chalk this up to another very bad nightmare. The figure was approaching fast. Sheppard backed up, but didn't move quickly enough. He tried to strike first, knowing the futility of the act, but his mind registered the surprise of his fist flying through the figure, and then the feeling of hot ice flowing through his veins as the apparition soared through him. Sheppard felt the shock, the pain, and then nothingness as his eyes rolled upwards and he slumped to the ground unconscious.

Teyla had been walking ahead of Major Sheppard, senses tuned for any sign of the Wraith. She heard him stumble and turned to see if he was okay, only to see him collapse to the floor. "Major!" She shouted, rushing to his side. He was lying face down on the cool corridor, eyes closed.

McKay and Ford rushed towards her and the downed Major. "What happened?" McKay asked, stunned.

"I do not know. I heard him falter. When I turned, he was falling." Teyla answered. Ford helped her roll the Major on his back.

"McKay, get some of those smelling things." Ford ordered, taking the Major's pulse. It was strong and steady.

Rodney dug in his front vest and pulled out a thin cartridge, handing it across the Major's body. Ford broke it in half and waved it under Sheppard's nose. The total lack of initial reaction worried Ford but before he could become truly alarmed the Major twitched, and lifted a hand, pushing away the offending odor. Ford pulled it back, stuffing it in a pocket.

Sheppard's eyes opened slowly. "What happened?" He asked, his voice raspy.

"You _fainted_." McKay said with a retaliatory grin spread across his face.

Teyla and Ford took a side and propped him into a sitting position. Sheppard looked around, trying to get his bearings and remember what had caused him to be down. The memories flooded back and if they hadn't still had a hand on him, he probably would've jumped five feet. "A wraith!"

Teyla shared a confused look with the others. "Major, there have been no wraith."

"It was here! It went through me." He pressed his palm against his chest gingerly, feeling a sore spot where it had hit.

"Sir?" Ford questioned.

Sheppard pushed himself up, standing on shaky legs. "It was here Lieutenant."

"The wraith don't fly through people Major." McKay asserted.

"This one did."

"Where did it go? We didn't see a wraith and Teyla didn't sense anything." McKay argued. He wouldn't admit it, but Sheppard was starting to freak him out.

"I don't know McKay, you tell me, I was the one knocked out by it." Sheppard was feeling more than a little disturbed. He had seen it, he was certain.

McKay frowned, "Major, you're tired. Maybe you imagined…"

"I'm not crazy McKay."

"No one said you were Major Sheppard. Perhaps Dr. McKay is right. You've been tired. It's possible you…"

"I know what I saw." Sheppard stated flatly, "I didn't _faint_ or see something that wasn't there."

"Fine. What do you want us to do?" McKay asked. "You want us to abandon the reconnaissance and go home?"

Sheppard's forehead wrinkled. _What did he want_? "No…I don't know. Something's not right."

Ford snorted, "No kidding. We are investigating a Hive ship full of dead wraiths." A thought occurred to Ford, "That's it!"

Teyla tilted her head, "What?"

"It's a wraith ghost!"

"Ghost's aren't real." McKay snapped. "Figments of the imagination, desperate people believing what they want to believe."

Sheppard vaguely wondered how on earth he was going to debrief this without looking like a paranoid nutcase. He was beginning to accept that they hadn't seen what he had experienced and that bothered him more than he wanted to admit. Maybe he was cracking up. "How far to the bridge of this thing?" He asked McKay, changing the subject.

McKay seemed startled by the sudden shift in topic, but caught himself. "Ten minutes." He estimated.

Sheppard straightened his shoulders. Whatever had happened, they were here for a reason, and if he _were_ cracking up he had to trust that his team could handle things. He hoped he wouldn't lose it. "We've got a job to do."

Ford shared a worried look with the others, "Yes Sir."

Ford stepped back in the lead, with Teyla following him closely. McKay dropped back and hovered by the Major's side.

Sheppard's lips quirked, "I'm fine."

"Fine people don't see things and pass out." McKay replied.

"It's _passed out_ now?"

"Shut up Major."


	3. Immovable Objects

AN: Moving right along, here's the third chapter and things are starting to get bad for our guys. I hope you all enjoy and don't forget to take the time to let me know what you think!

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Three**

**Immovable Objects

* * *

**

"If I'm right, behind this door is the command center." McKay indicated the closed wall blocking their path. They had walked steadily to this point, encountering no more bizarre occurrences with the Major or anything else. The ship was deathly quiet; the only audible sounds were the inhaling and exhaling of the Atlantis team.

"Is it safe?" Ford asked, staring at the doors with trepidation.

"We're on a Hive ship Lieutenant. I doubt there is any part of this that I'd call _safe_." McKay said examining the area of the wall where they had previously figured out was the conduit for the electrical components that controlled the mechanisms for opening and closing.

Teyla smiled briefly at McKay's comments. "Can you open it?" She asked.

McKay flashed a triumphant smile, and pressed against the surface of the wall, his hand sinking inward as if he were pushing into gelatin. The door slid open to reveal a pitch-black expanse. He turned towards Teyla, "There's an easy way for everything."

"I see."

Sheppard wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed. He was filled with a strong reluctance, his mind knowing they had to progress forward but something deep down telling him there was something very bad waiting inside. He took a deep breath, thankful for the dim lighting from their P-90's. It wouldn't help the situation if the rest of the team saw his anxiety. "Lieutenant, after you." He ordered, striving for a steady tone.

Ford blanched, "Me?"

"You're the lead Lieutenant, let's go." Sheppard replied, leveling his weapon and taking a moment to glance at the life-signs detector in McKay's hand. It still registered the four of them and nothing else.

"Yes Sir. Here goes nothing." Ford muttered to himself.

The beams of light shot into the room like pinpointed lasers; illuminating tracks of dust motes in a singular trajectory, and casting weak shadows farther out. They had gone only a few feet before Ford stopped dead in his tracks. "Shit!" He cried, and fumbled back into Teyla.

The level of tension skyrocketed, muscles tensed and trigger fingers tightened. "Ford?" Sheppard's back was straight as an arrow, eyes narrowed and focused.

"Wraith, everywhere." Ford had recovered from his initial shock and was leaning forward to see the figures better.

Sheppard looked at McKay. "Nothing." McKay answered, referring to any more blips on the screen in his hand.

"Then they are dead." Teyla surmised, creeping closer to Ford and peering at the gruesome sight.

"I think that would be a fair assumption." McKay confirmed, scooting closer to Sheppard as John approached another wraith corpse to the right of Ford and Teyla.

Sheppard eyed the body warily. The wraith looked more gruesome in death than in life. It's mouth was warped into an agonized grimace, hands upward, and claw like, as if warding off some attack. An involuntary shiver raced across his back. This wraith had been afraid. He knelt beside it, drawn by some force. He couldn't seem to drag his eyes off the visual terror.

He heard voices behind him, murmurs that he couldn't understand, and felt overcome by tunnel vision. He felt himself falling to his side but couldn't stop it. His eyes closed and he no longer knew anything.

McKay saw Sheppard kneel next to the wraith. He fingered the detector uneasily. Getting close to the thing even if it was dead seemed unwise. "Major, you probably shouldn't…" He didn't finish his sentence because Sheppard was staring into the blackness ahead. He wasn't moving or blinking. "Major?" Rodney tried again and received no reaction.

Teyla and Ford heard McKay and looked away from the body in front of them. They saw Rodney move forward and Sheppard fall to his side. Ford rushed to Sheppard, "Major!"

"What the _hell_ is going on?" McKay snarled.

* * *

It was cold, bitterly cold. He clasped his hands and arms close trying to conserve body heat. _Where was he_? It was dark, darker than before. He could make out shadows. He heard noises around him, and he whirled in circles trying to prevent any unseen attack. The terror inside was growing to overwhelming proportions. "Who's there?" He shouted angrily, knowing the best defense was a strong offense.

"How did you do this?"

The voice was disembodied, coming at him from his left or right, he couldn't tell. "Do what?"

"You murdered our entire ship." The voice was stronger now, a soft vengeance coming nearer and Sheppard was afraid.

"You're wraith." John accused.

No reply but Sheppard could make out something coming towards him. He wanted to run but didn't know where to go. He didn't even know where here was. He stood firm and waited.

A face took form slowly, features sharpening into a very pissed off wraith. "You shall die." It said.

"If you're dead, you can't kill me." Sheppard was starting to put some pieces of the puzzle together.

The wraith screamed in frustration and rushed at John. He couldn't help the surge in fear that coursed through his body, but he didn't move. The wraith passed through him and he couldn't hold back the scream of pain as that icy hot feeling again seared his nerves, and he felt himself falling.

* * *

"Major Sheppard!" McKay called. The man had lain inert for over five minutes. The ammonia cartridge had failed to work. He rocked back onto his heels, looking towards Ford, "We need to get him back to Atlantis."

"I agree." Teyla said.

Before Ford could reply, a soft moan brought their faces down to the Major's location. Sheppard brought a hand up towards his face, pushing against his forehead and wincing as if he were in pain.

"I'm getting tired of this." He said softly, cracking his eyes open.

"You're not the only one." McKay grouched, relief flowing thick through him.

Teyla stared at him intently, "Was it another wraith ghost?" She asked.

Sheppard nodded and reached out for a hand up. Ford and Teyla tugged him to his feet. "Yes, it was."

Ford picked his weapon off the floor where he had dropped it, and handed it back to the Major. "We should go back, something's going on with you, and I don't think we should stay to see what happens next."

Sheppard ached and was relieved to have Ford be the one to suggest they hightail it out of here. "I couldn't agree more…" He was cut-off by the sudden powering up of the lights. "McKay?" He turned looking for the physicist, and located him a few paces to the left, standing in front of a console with a smug expression.

"I found the lights."

That's when they all got a good look at the room. There were wraith corpses literally everywhere, all in the same horrific position as the next. "I think whatever happened here might not be worth sticking around to find out." McKay suggested, his voice slightly awestruck.

"I think you're right." Sheppard agreed. This was bad, even if it was the wraith. The level of death was fantastic. "It looks like they all died at the same time."

Ford stepped gingerly through the fallen bodies finding a path to McKay, "Can you download the data banks?"

McKay nodded, "Yeah…I can."

"We need to get the Major back, how long will this take?" Teyla asked. She hadn't forgotten Sheppard's spells and wasn't eager to delay any longer.

McKay looked sheepish, he had forgotten for just a moment that Sheppard wasn't in any shape to hang around. "Not long." He looked at Sheppard, "We're all ready here."

Sheppard wasn't going to let his weakness ruin this shot at gaining valuable information. "I don't know what's going on…there's something…but I'm not dead or dying and I'm not going to walk away from what this means in saving our people Teyla. I'll be fine. McKay, do it."

McKay got to work, pulling his laptop from his pack. Sheppard found it hard to fight the fatigue that seemed to settle on him like a blanket. He tried for nonchalance as he found a spot on the ground. It was a macabre position to be in but he wasn't up for playing graveyard keeper and moving bodies around just to have a clear line of sight on the ground.

Teyla didn't miss his actions. She came over and dropped her pack beside him. "What happens when you pass out?"

A brief smile flittered across his face. "I see a very angry wraith."

"And it goes through you?"

"You could say that."

Teyla frowned, "Does it say anything?"

"It did this time. It said I killed it." Sheppard fingered a loose thread on his pant leg. "I figured out that it can't kill me."

"But it hurts you?" She prompted.

"Something hurts." Sheppard met Teyla's eyes with his, "It's like I'm in another place…another dimension. I'm alone and it's there, and it's mad as hell."

"How is this possible?" Teyla was afraid for the Major.

Sheppard shrugged. He didn't know. "I'm not sure. There's some kind of shift, and I'm there."

Ford had been listening without trying to overtly eavesdrop, "Do you think it's related to what happened on this ship?"

"Maybe…possibly…hell, I don't know." Sheppard replied tiredly.

"If it is caused by this ship, it will stop once we leave." Teyla asserted.

A sudden drop of the lights stopped further conversation, the ship shuddered, and the lights came back on. All eyes turned to McKay who had a very worried look on his face.

"McKay?" Sheppard said, his voice low and the unspoken _what have you done_ clear in his tone.

"Oh no."

Sheppard clambered to his feet, "_Oh no_ what?"

"I think I accidentally activated the auto-defense systems."

Ford's face registered shock, "You think?"

"No, actually I did." McKay answered, typing in commands hoping to shut down the process he had inadvertently begun.

"What auto-defense systems did you _accidentally_ activate?" Sheppard asked keeping his voice calm, and hoping he wouldn't get the answer that he was about to get.

"Automated distress call." Rodney answered. "And that's not the worst of it."

"Then what is?" Ford asked, exasperated. _What could be worse than a 'come and eat me' signal being broadcast to the nearby wraith_?

"It put the ship into a lock down. I can't access any of its systems."

"Great." Sheppard figured enough was enough. "There's no reason to stick around. Let's get the hell out of here before their buddies show up looking for answers."

"That's another problem." Rodney said, a level of discomfort plain for everyone to see.

Sheppard rolled his eyes; "I'll probably regret this, but what now?"

"The landing bay is also locked down. Nothing goes in or out of the ship."

"Crap." Sheppard swore. They were locked in a Hive ship, and a signal was being broadcast for the neighboring friends to come join the party. "This is bad."

"Yeah." McKay agreed. They were in trouble.


	4. What's Going On?

AN: Please be warned, there is a big spoiler for The Defiant One in this chapter! Thanks for the reviews, you all have created a monster, every time a review comes in I squeal like a three year old! Okay, maybe not _quite_ that loud but hey, it's close.

* * *

**Chapter Four**

**What's Going On?**

* * *

"That's the last of them Sir." Ford and Teyla had cleared the immediate area of the last Wraith corpse. 

Sheppard sighed, "Good. Now maybe we can concentrate on a solution." He studied his team, each one trying to act as inconspicuous as possible. "Anyone?"

Rodney stepped in front of the console, scanning the displays. "We need a miracle."

"We _need_ you." Sheppard said, dropping into a sitting position. Everyone had pitched in with moving the bodies, and it had drained his reserves.

Rodney hadn't forgotten who had started this mess. "That's exactly what you _don't_ need." He said with a touch of bitterness underlying the irony.

"Knock it off McKay. We all have our moments." Sheppard wouldn't be forgetting his recent screw-up that cost the lives of Gaul and Abrams.

McKay wasn't the insensitive geek he was painted to be. He frowned at the regret hidden in Sheppard's words. He turned back to his computer awkwardly and swallowed, "I'll see what I can do."

Sheppard adjusted a pack behind him, and slid down, resting his head against the lumpy standard issue. "You do that." He said, closing his eyes.

Teyla shared a worried look with Ford before setting herself down beside the Major. He didn't open his eyes but shuffled his frame to give her room. Ford decided to peer over McKay's shoulder.

It had only been a few minutes before Teyla sensed something was wrong. She felt the Major stiffen. "Major Sheppard?" She called softly, hoping it wasn't another episode. In seconds she realized it wasn't the typical pass out event he had been experiencing, but something much worse.

Sheppard's body began to convulse. "Doctor McKay!" Teyla called, panicked. She knelt beside him uncertain of what she should do. McKay had looked up from the computer with mild irritation, which changed to fear when he saw what was happening.

He ran the few steps and pulled the pack from behind his head, "Hold his legs!" He hollered at Teyla.

"What is happening to him?" She cried, trying in vain to hold them steady. Ford had arrived and was pushing the Major's shoulders down.

"Seizure." Rodney stated, praying he didn't hurt anything and hoping it would end soon.

The tremors began to subside. His legs trembled weakly and then lay still. Teyla sat back on her haunches, the episodemaking herfeel shaky. "What is causing this?" She asked, staring at him shell-shocked.

Rodney took a towel that Ford had pulled from the pack and wiped the fine sheen of sweat off the Major's forehead. "I don't know." He really didn't but he was beginning to believe it was tied to the events on the Wraith ship and that worried him, considering every wraith had been killed.

Ford was getting angry. "Why him, and not any of us?"

"Your guess is as good as mine Lieutenant, his ATA gene…his recent experience on the Ancient's outpost." Rodney tossed the towel to the side, "For all we know it could be something left over from that tic-wraith."

"Now?" Ford questioned, disbelief written across his face. "It's been, what…months?"

McKay eyed Ford, "Lieutenant, if we were to fill a bucket with what we know it'd be a mere drop."

"Will he be okay?" Teyla still had one hand on the Major's leg. The warmth of his body leeched through the fabric, reassuring her of his continued presence.

Rodney didn't reply. He didn't know and he was tired of trying to reassure everyone else when he really needed the Major to wake up and reassure him. He wasn't cut out for being in the position of leader. He didn't realize that his lack of a response was an answer. _Wake up Major_, he mentally pleaded.

* * *

John was cold again. He groaned as the implication of that cold nailed his body. He was wherever _here_ was, another dimension, another reality…and always with the ghost wraith. He waited, turning at every noise. The air grew cooler. It was coming. 

"I know you're here!" John shouted.

The face coalesced in front of him. "Yes." It answered, both irate and menacing.

"What, no flying through me this time?" Sheppard said flippantly. "I'm crushed."

The wraith merely approached him, walking to the side once it came within reaching distance. "I am dead. _You_ killed me."

John backed up, his hands raised, trying to ward off the wraith if it changed its mind about going through him. "Now there you're wrong. I didn't do this."

The wraith seemed to consider his words. It snarled, "Then how am I here?"

"You tell me." John backed up another step. The wraith was getting too close for comfort.

"Why won't you release me?" It accused. Its face was inches away. If John stuck his tongue out he figured it'd touch.

Sheppard cleared his throat, backing up again. "I told you, I'm not the one doing this." John felt a wall against his back, stopping his retreat. _Crap_. "I don't want to be here anymore than you do."

The wraith's breath was hot and fetid against his skin. Sheppard had a brief flash of fear that it was going to plunge that hand against his chest and suck him dry. The wraith's face twisted into a satisfied smile. It knew. "You've been bitten."

Sheppard's mind reeled. _Bitten_? "What?"

The wraith grinned, baring its rotten teeth. It turned and walked away, disappearing into the shadows.

"Hey!" Sheppard hollered, "Bitten by what?"

He tried to follow the wraith but was overcome by dizziness. He felt himself falling and knew he was returning to his normal place, whatever normal was anymore. Blackness took over and his eyes rolled back as he fell unconscious.

* * *

Sheppard groaned as awareness washed over him. Every muscle in his body ached. _God_. He opened his eyes and found Teyla staring at him. "Hi Teyla." He croaked. 

"How do you feel?" She asked. She grabbed some water and the Tylenol McKay had told her to give to Sheppard when he woke up.

"Like I've gone a few rounds with a wraith." He pushed himself upward, surprised at the level of weakness. "Where's McKay?"

"Here." McKay called from the console. He had been studying the controls and with each minute his frustration grew. It was like trying to read a foreign language. The irony of it being as foreign as one could get wasn't lost on him.

Sheppard craned his neck to look at Rodney, "Any progress?"

McKay's lip curled in annoyance, "No."

"Give a guy false hope occasionally."

"Sorry." McKay took a second to look at the Major closely. He looked like hell. His eyes focused on something he hadn't seen before.

Sheppard shot McKay a concerned look, "What are you staring at?" He knew what McKay was staring at and it made him feel like a car wreck on display.

"Your neck. Does it hurt?" McKay could make out the inflamed area. It was where he had been bitten by the tic-wraith.

Sheppard's hand flew to the spot in question, surprised to find it hot to the touch. "No."

Rodney waved at Ford, "Lieutenant get over here."

Ford joined the group clustered around Sheppard. McKay indicated the spot, "That _is_ where the bug…"

"…bit the Major." Ford finished for him.

Sheppard squirmed under the stares, "The wraith…he said I'd been bitten."

"You talked to it?" McKay said surprised.

"It's either that or let it use me as it's personal flight path!" Sheppard said defensively. "I wanted answers." Sheppard winced at the pain moving his arm caused. "Isn't it a little late for side effects?"

Teyla noticed his discomfort and realized the pill and water remained untouched in her hands. "Take this Major." She handed him the Tylenol and helped keep him upright to drink it down.

He fought to swallow the pill, the lump going down painfully. He choked on the last sip of water, pushing the canteen back as water spilled down his face. Teyla pulled the water away and helped him wipe the moisture off his chin.

"I wish Beckett was here." He muttered. He really did feel like crap, more so than before.

The room went silent. He found his team staring at him. "Did I say that out loud?"

"Yes Sir." Ford confirmed. No one was used to seeing the Major at this level of fragility. The only previous experience had been when that bug had gotten a hold of him, and even then everything had happened so fast it had been over before the ramifications of almost losing him had hit home.

"You'll be fine." McKay assured him. "I'm just…going to try and unlock the systems."

"Do that." Sheppard ordered, trying to regain some level of command. "Ford, keep watch, now isn't the time to get sloppy."

Sheppard was going to get up whether it killed him or not. He grasped for Teyla's arm and pulled, almost toppling the Athosian in the process.

"Is this wise Major?" Teyla struggled to right both herself and Sheppard.

John smiled ruefully, "No, but I need to do it anyway."

Teyla remained quiet but Sheppard could tell she didn't agree. "I'll be fine. I promise."

"What are you going to do?"

"Help McKay, I want to go home and if we don't get out of here soon Atlantis will come looking for us. With Wraith on the way, it's turning into a dangerous situation." Sheppard didn't want to think of reinforcements arriving just in time to get attacked by wraiths coming to investigate the distress call. With the beacon they'd left behind, he was beginning to think that's exactly what was going to happen.

He managed to stay on his feet better than he thought he would. He made his way to McKay's location, muscles stiff and complaining the whole way, but making it there nonetheless.

"Any progress?"

"Since the last time you asked?" McKay snapped, "No."

"Relax McKay, you'll figure it out."

"Not with you hovering Major."

Sheppard grimaced, "Someone needs an energy bar."

"_Someone_ needs to be left alone."

"_Someone_ needs help." Sheppard retorted, "I can help."

"This isn't Ancient technology Major." McKay stressed, "Hell, I can't understand any of this." He hit the console with frustration.

"No, but it is a ship." Sheppard studied the console and hit a button, "All ship's have commonalities."

The ship shuddered. McKay's eyes widened, "What did you do?"

"Who knows, it looked promising."

McKay lifted the laptop's screen and couldn't hide the dismay once he interpreted the information. "You've activated the engines."

Sheppard grinned, "That's a good thing, right?"

"Not unless you count a trajectory toward this ship's last location as a good thing."

"Towards what killed them?" Teyla asked, not pleased with the implication.

"Exactly." McKay confirmed.

Sheppard backed away from the console. "I'll just…head to the Jumper." He pointed back towards the door, "See if I can figure something out from that end."

"Good idea." McKay said, trying to keep his voice level.

"Ford, stay with McKay. Teyla, with me." He instructed. He could only hope they found an answer soon because he had a sneaking suspicion that whatever killed the wraith wasn't going to welcome them with open arms. He didn't think it was going to be one of those 'enemy of my enemy' situations. "Keep in radio contact every five."

"Good luck Major." Ford called.

"Yeah, you too." Sheppard figured they'd need more than luck to get out of this, but it wouldn't hurt.


	5. Light Bulb Moments

AN: As always continued spoiler's for The Defiant One but not as obvious in this chapter.This is a long chapter so be prepared. Thanks again for all the reviews. It keeps me motivated to know people are enjoying it!

* * *

**Chapter Five**

**Light Bulb Moments**

* * *

Sheppard was formulating a plan. He was stretched out in the pilot's seat of the Jumper, and had drifted off into an internal monologue of ideas shortly after arriving back on the ship. He knew Teyla was beside him, paranoid, and hovering. He tuned her out…tuned out the situation, and let her and everything around him fade into background static. 

He knew the shortest way to finding a solution was to break things down to the simplest level. What are the facts? They were locked in a Hive ship, now on course for some unknown destination that they probably didn't want to get to, and had a Jumper, with weapon systems active. He shouldn't forget they were also hindered with a leader that was experiencing hallucinations.

They could blast their way out. Extreme, but it might work. He'd save that for last. McKay would probably shoot it down but he couldn't come up with any reason why it wouldn't work short of hoping the Jumper could withstand the concussive force of being that close to the detonation. They could blast the Hive ship's power source and pray it didn't set off a cascade failure throughout and blow them up along with the ship. That one was probably a last resort.

"Penny for your thoughts." Teyla spoke softly behind him. If he'd been any deeper into thought he would've missed it. He smiled at her use of a phrase he'd explained not so long ago.

"Not enough." He cracked. "Inflation."

Teyla got the gist of his words. "You are troubled. When my people have problems, it helps when we talk about them with others."

Just as Teyla got the general idea of his joke, he didn't miss her implied statement. "Sorry Teyla. I was trying to come up with a solution." He dropped his long legs to the floor, "Nothing comes to mind short of blowing up parts of the ship."

"We'll do what we must, you are ill Major, we need to get you back to Atlantis."

Sheppard didn't reply. He knew they needed to get him back. He looked at his watch. They'd be overdue in another hour. Knowing Weir, she was all ready looking for them.

* * *

Elizabeth Weir stared at the massive sliding doors in the briefing room. She had finished briefing a rescue mission moments before, and the team's departure left her alone, agonizing over another hard decision. Should she send them, or wait? She wasn't prepared for this. Nothing in her past had given her the skills to make military decisions. Still, she had good people who _did _have the skills and for the most part, their advice and knowledge was giving her the edge she needed to do the job. One of those was Major John Sheppard, and she missed his input sorely at a time like this. 

It seemed like it was only yesterday she had made another similar call, the outcome of which would've been entirely different if she hadn't listened to her gut. That animal instinct that had cried out that something was wrong before the time was up for the Major and his team to report in. That same voice was clamoring for her to listen again.

She had called the members to the briefing based upon her inner gut, including Carson. So much of past events seemed beyond recognition. She couldn't tell you a solid reason for Beckett's presence, but she felt it was important, and so she'd asked him to join the team. Beckett hadn't asked why.

Grodin interrupted her thoughts. "Doctor Weir, the Jumper's ready."

"Thank you Peter." She stood, pushing aside any lingering doubts. A decision had been made and she'd follow through. She could only pray that again it would be the right one.

She walked out and stood to the side of Grodin, looking out on the Stargate. "Jumper two, you have a go. Once you get on the other side, report back. If you fail to make contact we'll open the gate and try to raise you."

"Yes Ma'am." Sergeant Stackhouse's voice answered.

"Good luck." Elizabeth whispered, as the Jumper lowered slowly into the gate room, rotated, and sped off through the event horizon.

* * *

Sheppard was pacing. He couldn't help it. He felt he was missing something important and it was driving him nuts. McKay and Ford had checked in, nothing new. McKay thought he might be making some progress deciphering the Wraith's controls, thanks to Sheppard's inadvertent activation. Once he'd gotten a base to work from, he had started making some progress, albeit it small. 

That was the good news. The bad news was they were officially overdue. That meant Atlantis would be sending a team to look for them, if they hadn't all ready. He figured the gate was probably working one-way. They'd get a team through only to be in the same fix as his team. Worse, they'd pick up the beacon and set out in search of them. It was bad enough he was becoming unable to take care of his team; he didn't want another group of people to worry about.

Sheppard felt a now familiar prickle slide over his frame. He stopped pacing; "Teyla…" he called, knowing it was all ready too late. He felt his muscles tighten, and he began to fall, before everything went dark.

Teyla had looked up in time to see Sheppard go rigid, and start falling. She ran over and was able to stop the worst of his impact with the Jumper's floor. She punched the radio on her ear, "Doctor McKay, the Major is having another…seizure." She struggled with the word, and a combative Sheppard.

"We're on the way." McKay's voice came across her earpiece.

* * *

Sheppard was prepared for the bone chilling cold. He knew where he was and knew what to expect. In fact, he was experiencing a measure of anger over the situation. He knew his body was lying senseless on the floor of the Jumper and his friends would be hovering, worried. Anger was good. Anger overrode fear. 

"Talk to me!" He shouted, knowing the Wraith was around.

"Why should _I_ want to talk with _you_?" The Wraith replied. It was in front of him but he couldn't see where.

"We're in this together, you know. Maybe we can work together to figure out how to stop it." Sheppard reasoned, trying in vain to pull his jacket around him tighter.

The Wraith barked in laughter, "You are food, Major. Do you expect your _food_ to provide answers to your questions?"

Sheppard tilted his head, a little pissed off at the Wraith's dismissal, "No, but then again, my _food_ isn't a sentient being."

The Wraith became quiet. After a few moments had passed Sheppard had a momentary spike of fear that it had left him, and he was stuck in this limbo world. The sudden appearance of the Wraith in front of him caused him to jump. "Jesus!"

The Wraith smiled. "You are nothing." It said, amused.

Sheppard relaxed, "I don't think so…in fact, I bet I'm your ticket out of this situation." Connections were being made. Sheppard circled the Wraith, "Frank…do you mind if I call you Frank?" He didn't wait for an answer, "I bet that you're not dead…not _yet_ at least."

The Wraith's lip snarled. Sheppard wasn't sure if it was his displeasure at being called Frank or that he had guessed right. "It seems to me that you're stuck like I am, which means, that if I were to order a search of the ship, we'd find one Wraith body, barely alive, somewhere out there."

"You wouldn't save me." It stated with a mixture of anger and fatalism.

Sheppard frowned. The Wraith was right. Regardless of the situation he found himself in, could he promise the Wraith he'd try to help him? This thing would kill him given half a chance. Trusting it was insanity, and that was a two-way street.

"Not if I could help it." He finally answered honestly.

A slow smile pulled onto the Wraith's face again. "I would win, and would feed off you before you had a chance to cry for help."

"Now see, that's where your race is lacking originality. It's always the same. Threatening to feed off me." Sheppard poked his finger into the Wraith's chest plate, surprised when it didn't go through, "Newsflash, I'm still here, and all those who threatened to have me for dinner _aren't_."

"Your death is inevitable." The Wraith said, and it turned it's back on John.

Sheppard felt a flare of pain in his neck. "Why?" He demanded. "What did that bug do?"

The Wraith kept walking, "You're _sentient_, answer that yourself."

Sheppard was stopped by a surge of heat through his neck. "Frank!" He hollered. But Frank was gone and Sheppard was falling back, and he knew he'd wake up on the floor of the Jumper with more questions than answers, _again_.

* * *

"Jumper Two, this is Weir, please report." The rescue team had gone through minutes before, and after they had failed to call back she had ordered Grodin to open the wormhole. 

"This is Jumper Two, we think we found the problem." Markham replied through the speaker.

Weir relaxed, for now the second team was safe. "What is it?"

"Ma'am, the gate isn't functioning on this side. We attempted to dial home with no success. Doctor Zelenka believes the power source is malfunctioning."

"Any sign of Jumper one?" Weir asked.

"We've found a beacon. They went in search of an alternate gate home. It's broadcasting their location. It's approximately…"

Weir could hear mumbling in the background, "…Doctor Zelenka said it's about four hours away but it's moving. We'll have to overtake their speed."

She sighed. They were alive. "Understood. Will the radios operate that distance from this gate?"

"Not likely." Zelenka answered her directly.

Weir had figured as much but wasn't any happier having it confirmed. The two teams would be alone. "You know what to do. Good luck, and bring them home."

"Yes Ma'am." Markham radioed back before cutting the connection.

Weir took one last look at the rippling event horizon, "Shut it down Peter." She headed back towards her office. If she had to wait, she could at least keep busy.

* * *

"Major Sheppard?" McKay called. He had felt Sheppard tense, a sign that the man was regaining consciousness. 

"Unless you've figured out how to get us home and stop my little trips to Never Never Land, go away." Sheppard said, opening his eyes, and unable to stop the twitching of his lips into a smile as he saw McKay hovering over him, just as he knew he would.

"I'm glad you find this amusing Major." McKay snapped, misinterpreting Sheppard's grin.

"I always find you amusing McKay." Sheppard replied, struggling to get upright. He hated to be down. It made him feel vulnerable. Even with the tic-wraith, he'd insisted they keep him propped on the rear of the Jumper, as close to a sitting position as he could maintain with the paralysis taking over his body.

"What did the Wraith ghost do this time?" McKay asked, helping the Major up.

"Frank." Sheppard corrected, grabbing on to McKay when he wavered and started to fall back.

"Woah, easy." McKay said, guiding him to the bench. "Frank?"

"Wraith ghost." Sheppard supplied, sinking gratefully onto the seat.

"What _is it_ with you?" McKay sat down beside him, "They're not pets."

Sheppard looked around for Ford and Teyla, "Aren't we missing a couple of people?"

"I've got them checking on an idea." Rodney answered dismissively.

John straightened, "A way out?"

"Maybe…possibly." McKay said. He was staring at John again. "It's bigger."

"What's bigger?"

"The mark on your neck. It's spreading."

Sheppard's hand flew up to the area. He couldn't see it, but he could feel the area was hotter and bigger. He swore, "I'm getting really sick of this."

"You never told me what _Frank_ said." McKay reminded him.

Sheppard hadn't. He wasn't sure he was really any farther ahead of the game after spending the time with the Wraith but he had a few more ideas now. "It's alive, somewhere on the ship. Maybe its bodily functions are so low as to register as dead on the Ancient's sensors, but it's alive."

Rodney paled, "You're kidding. There's a live Wraith on board?"

Sheppard nodded, "And it knows what this…" John waved at the general area of his neck, "…is."

"What?"

"It wouldn't tell me, but it knows."

McKay snorted, "Bet that made you mad."

"You could say that." Sheppard stretched his legs. His muscles ached abominably, "Got any more Tylenol?"

McKay dug into a nearby pack, and tossed an envelope towards the Major, who caught it with stiff arms. "Geez McKay, your bedside manner is amazing."

"Take the pills Major."


	6. Approaching Trouble

AN: Here is the next chapter but now I'm going to be cruel and tell you there won't be an update till after Christmas. Christmas Eve and Christmas I'll be busy, but I was kind enough to leave you all on a massive cliffhanger, Merry Christmas!

* * *

**Chapter Six**

**Approaching Trouble**

* * *

"You know, we _really_ need to quit meeting like this." Sheppard drawled. At some point he must have dozed off on the Jumper only to wake in Freezer World. The transition from one place to the other was seamless, but this time Frank was waiting.

Frank's arrogance leaked around Sheppard. It was clear that the Wraith believed their superiority entitled them to go around eating everyone else. Nothing he said would change that. "What do you believe you can accomplish by being on my ship?"

"Your ship?" Sheppard exclaimed, purposefully obtuse. "It's _our_ ship now. Finder's keepers."

Frank sneered. "You will die."

Sheppard threw his hands up, "Can we stop with the die routine? I thought we were making real progress."

"You said you didn't cause the death of my people." Frank seemed to consider the implication. "Have you considered that what did may kill you as well?"

"The thought had crossed my mind." Sheppard admitted seeing no reason to lie. "Do you remember anything about what happened?"

Frank grinned slowly, "If I did, I wouldn't tell you."

Sheppard clasped his hands together. He couldn't think of one good reason why the Wraith should tell him. If positions were reversed he'd welcome the thought of his enemy getting killed. He had to find some kind of leverage. "Your buddies are on their way. They'll follow us to their death." For that matter, maybe it wasn't such a bad thing the distress signal had activated. If they could find a way out of this without being killed, whatever had destroyed these Wraiths might take out the ones on the way.

"The loss of a few is insignificant."

"You didn't seem to think your loss is insignificant. That's why you're still around, isn't it?" Sheppard was digging. He needed to keep Frank talking. Every moment more was an opportunity to find out additional information.

"If I die, so do you." Frank seemed inordinately pleased at the thought.

"Yeah, about that, I get the feeling you know what's going on with this." Sheppard indicated his neck. "If I'm going to die anyway, it won't hurt if you spill the beans. What _was_ that thing?"

Frank moved closer to Sheppard, "It was a Seh-wraith. They kill the victim before releasing."

Sheppard was startled by Frank's concession. He narrowed his eyes and stared at Frank. It wasn't out of the goodness of his heart. Frank wanted to scare him. He figured there was more coming. He wasn't disappointed.

"It leaves a marker, a protein." Frank smiled cruelly. "This protein attacks the host body."

Sheppard's mind snapped into overdrive. Beckett hadn't detected any abnormalities. "It's been months, and it _didn't_ kill me." He said.

Frank ignored his comment, "Do you wish to know its purpose?"

He did, but he was hesitant to admit it. He had the hunch that Frank was enjoying the upper hand in their encounter. His lack of reply served to egg the Wraith forward.

"You will become like us. Soon you will be a danger to your friends."

Sheppard's head jerked so fast he was afraid he suffered whiplash, "You're lying."

Frank laughed and it was decidedly unpleasant, "You're weak, hungry."

"I'll never be like you." Sheppard said, his voice finding an edge. "I'll kill myself before I let that happen."

"You won't have a choice."

"There are always choices." Sheppard said with a strong sense of déjà vu.

Frank didn't reply. Sheppard looked up for him only to find empty space. His time was up and he found a strange reluctance to return to his reality. The knowledge that Frank had imparted scared him more than he cared to admit. He felt the icy grip tighten and knew whether he wanted it or not, he was being sent back.

* * *

"Major?" Rodney called. "Wake up, we've got company."

Sheppard didn't want to wake up. He didn't want to face his team. He wanted to crawl off somewhere and come to terms with what he knew as truth. He had felt something wrong inside since before they had boarded the Hive ship. He didn't know if it was the proximity that had begun the change or maybe it was bad coincidence. He wasn't sure if he'd ever get a chance to find out.

"Major! We have incoming and if you don't wake up, you won't have another opportunity to do so." McKay's voice was louder, and insistent.

"I'm up." He replied. He opened his eyes. He was still on the Jumper. Everyone was there this time. "Incoming?"

"Jumper Two to the rescue." McKay expanded.

Sheppard's forehead wrinkled, "I thought you said…"

"I wanted you to get up. I knew that would do it."

"McKay, so help me…" Sheppard swore but wasn't able to finish. He was overcome by a bone-deep fatigue.

"That's what we're trying to do." McKay answered, standing up slowly, his knees aching from being crouched too long. At Sheppard's look of confusion he elaborated, "Help you. We're trying to help you."

Sheppard took a deep breath. "Right." His mind processed what McKay had said. "Tell me Beckett is with Jumper Two?"

He saw relieved looks on his team. A huge weight seemed to lift from shoulders. Beckett could help him. Not long after he had begun to feel optimistic, his hopes were dashed as a thought occurred to him. "You said nothing could come in or out?"

McKay reddened, "Actually I was wrong."

"_You_? Wrong?" Sheppard mocked.

"Very funny." McKay said flatly. "Apparently things can come in, they can't go out."

"What kind of automated defense is that?" Ford exclaimed.

"The kind meant to trap intruders Lieutenant. Remember, potential food source. The Wraith aren't exactly afraid of their position on the food chain." Sheppard reminded him.

"Should they enter if we have yet to find a way out?" Teyla asked. She was concerned for Major Sheppard but they knew it would set up the other team for disaster if they were unable to find a way off the ship.

John frowned. Teyla had a point. Was his life worth putting the others at risk, especially Beckett? As the head doctor of the Atlantis expedition, he was invaluable, probably _the_ most valuable member of the entire city. "No, they shouldn't.

"A wee late on that decision Major." The Scotsman's brogue interrupted their discussion.

John was surprised to see Beckett, accompanied by Doctor Zelenka, and Sergeant's Stackhouse and Markham, standing at the rear hatch of the Jumper. _Damn_.

"We're here to rescue you." Markham said.

"You're a little short for a Storm trooper." McKay cracked. "Oh come on, you know you all were thinking it." He snapped at the groans emitted from the group, Teyla being the only member appearing confused by the exchange.

"Star Wars." Sheppard said in explanation.

"Your culture seems obsessed by this _Star Wars_."

John smiled, "You have no idea."

"I hear you've been having some problems Major?" Beckett staved off further conversation, bringing his medical bag and kneeling beside Sheppard's prone form.

"You could say that."

Beckett pulled on a pair of latex-free gloves, and pressed his fingers softly against the inflamed tissue. "Does it hurt?" He asked Sheppard.

John shook his head. "McKay, take the others and see about getting the engines off. See if there are any Wraith approaching."

McKay seemed to pause, as if he were going to argue to stay, but thought better of it. "We'll keep in touch."

Sheppard nodded, watching Ford, Stackhouse, Markham and Zelenka follow McKay out the hatch. He strained to see Teyla sitting immobile behind him.

She lifted an eyebrow, "I will stay."

Sheppard knew he would have as much luck getting her to leave as he would getting Beckett so he decided to let it go, besides Frank was out there and alive even if he was incapable of attacking them…for now.

"All right Major, what's going on that you wouldn't say in front of everyone?" Carson asked, checking Sheppard's vitals while he talked.

Sheppard grimaced. "This is going to sound weird." He warned.

"Major, everything about this Galaxy is weird. Spill it."

"That bug left a protein. It's changing me into a Wraith."

Carson snapped his jaw shut when he realized it had dropped open in disbelief. "Really." He finally managed to reply. "And who told you that?"

"Frank."

Carson thought he had missed something. "Frank?"

"The Wraith ghost I talk to."

"I see." Beckett looked over Sheppard's head towards Teyla and mouthed, "_Head injury_?"

Teyla seemed as flummoxed by the Major's revelation as Beckett. She shook her head negatively. "Major, you didn't mention this before?"

John could see the look on Carson's face. "I'm not crazy." He said tiredly. "McKay knows what I'm talking about, Teyla you weren't here last time. When I have an episode I'm in this place, very _cold_ place, and there's this Wraith, only he's not there in the corporeal sense of there, and he's been telling me more and more each trip. He told me the name of the bug and what it's doing."

"I see."

Sheppard figured he was lucky padded rooms didn't fit in Beckett's med bag. "Trust me."

Beckett studied John's tired figure. "Bloody hell." He swore. He was half tempted to give the Major a sedative and bundle him up, keeping him out till they managed to return to Atlantis…but if he was right, "Tell me what to do son." He said, making his decision.

* * *

Doctor Zelenka was examining the display that McKay had said might be the ships sensors. Everything he could figure out seemed to confirm McKay's suspicions. He had managed to pinpoint what he thought were internal sensors and external. He looked away, his eyes drawn involuntarily towards the pile of corpses against the far wall. He couldn't stop feeling as if all those eyes were watching him. He forced himself to look away, concentrating on the panel. Something was different. He cursed in his native language.

"Rodney!"

McKay turned away from the conversation he was having with Ford, "What?" He snapped.

"I think you should see this." Zelenka said, indicating the panel.

McKay strode over to Zelenka's side, and followed the path his finger was pointing. "Oh no."

"What is it?" Ford asked from behind him, causing Rodney to jump.

"The Wraith. They've found us."

The group stood staring at a display showing four approaching ships, converging on their location. No one spoke and no one moved. They were in trouble, very bad trouble.


	7. Facing the Enemy

AN: Sorry this is a little later than I had said, but it's vacation time and we have been playing Clue, Monopoly and watching all those cool DVD's we got for Christmas. Thanks again for all the reviews, they truly do keep me motivated and I love each one!

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

**Facing the Enemy**

* * *

Seconds slowly ticked by while the scientists stood mesmerized by the blinking blips showing the approaching enemy. Ford cleared his throat, "Shouldn't we inform the Major?"

Rodney wasn't sure informing the Major would do any good. He was now in the hands of Beckett and wasn't exactly capable of doing anything at this point. He pulled his eyes from the display and realized that everyone in the room was watching him and waiting. That gave him a moment of pause. How did he become somebody that others looked to for answers? He shook off those thoughts, knowing for now the reason why was irrelevant. "Yes, we should." He answered. The Major wasn't in any condition to help but he did have the ability to impart tactical advice despite being flat on his back.

"Lieutenant, come with me, we'll check on Sheppard and update him on the latest." McKay decided. It was almost a surprise when Aiden nodded without questioning his order…or more precise that he had _given_ the order.

* * *

Sheppard knew what he said wouldn't go over well with Carson. He'd be lucky if he didn't get sedated for the remainder of the journey for suggesting this, but at the same time, he knew it was the only answer he could provide. "We need to find Frank."

Doctor Beckett stared at Sheppard for a few beats then lifted his head to see if Teyla had heard what he thought he had heard. Judging by the shocked expression, they had both heard the same thing. "Major, excuse me for my ignorance, but you want to search the ship for a possibly dead Wraith, on a ship that is _full_ of dead Wraith?"

"I know it sounds crazy…"

"Crazy doesn't begin to cover this." Beckett interrupted.

Sheppard glared, "Look Doc, if I'm right Frank is alive. He's created some kind of telepathic connection with me. We find him, and I've got the power to bargain for information. If it comes down to it, we kill him."

Teyla smiled soft and slow, "The Wraith have the ability to get in ones mind, trick you and make you see things that aren't there. You believe that this is how he is pulling you into this other place."

Sheppard nodded, "The Wraith must have some type of telepathic ability to influence their prey. It's possible that Frank is able to use it for more than we had previously believed."

Carson swiveled his attention from Teyla to Sheppard, "Why you and not McKay, or Ford, or even Teyla?"

"Maybe it's the same thing that enables me to use the Ancient's technology easier then anyone else, _maybe_ the ATA gene is more than just another rung on the DNA ladder, or maybe it's the damage from the tic-wraith." Sheppard suggested, not without a level of frustration. _Maybe I'm grasping at straws and only getting the short one_, he thought to himself.

"Maybe you need to rest." Beckett replied dryly. He could tell Sheppard was struggling to keep awake.

"There isn't time for that." McKay spoke from outside the rear hatch of the Jumper.

"You're back." Sheppard stated the obvious.

"And I've got bad news." McKay stepped in to the Jumper and crouched on the seat beside Carson and Teyla, staring down at Sheppard with a concerned frown. "We think company's on the way."

"You _think_?" Sheppard asked.

McKay grimaced, "There's four ships approaching from behind. I think they're Wraith."

"_Four_?" Sheppard asked, stunned at the amount. "That must've been some distress signal."

A thought occurred to McKay, one with decidedly bad implications. "Or some trap."

Ford had joined the group inside the Jumper. He was in far enough to participate in the conversation, but able to keep an eye out for approaching danger. "That would mean they knew we'd be coming this way."

Teyla was all ready shaking her head, "The Wraith aren't precognizant. Even they can't see the future."

Sheppard agreed. It was true at one point they had believed a spy was amongst them, one of the Athosians, but it had been a locket he had found and given to Teyla that had allowed the Wraith to monitor their movements and intercept them at almost every turn. The Wraith didn't have that luxury now that the beacon inside the locket had been destroyed. There was no way they could've known of their presence. "Maybe it was a trap, but it doesn't seem likely."

"Trap or no trap, there are four Wraith ships coming at us. What do you suggest we do Major?" McKay was in full intensity. Whenever trouble got thick McKay seemed like a lab rat on speed, focused and jittery.

Sheppard was quiet. He had begun to formulate a plan but the approaching Wraith ships were arriving earlier than he had figured they would. "McKay, can you increase our speed?" The Hive ship was all ready moving towards the previous location. If they could increase their speed, they'd get to whatever they believed had destroyed these Wraith, dragging the other four along with them. He could only hope he was right and this wasn't some elaborate trap.

McKay swallowed, "Yes, probably."

"Do it." Sheppard took a deep breath, "Beckett, Teyla and myself are going to search for Frank."

"I haven't agreed to this Major." Beckett reminded him, "I'm still not certain you are up for it."

"I believe Major Sheppard is right Doctor. We find…_Frank_…and we may get some answers." Teyla offered support to Sheppard's idea. She wasn't anymore certain of this than Carson but she understood if they were going to find any answers, they had to start looking somewhere. Doing anything seemed preferable to sitting in the Jumper and watching the Major go in and out of consciousness.

"McKay, take Ford and go. Get this thing moving at a speed that will get us to its previous location ahead of our trailing friends." Sheppard tried to sit up, ultimately needing the helping hand from Beckett. "Beckett, give me something to keep me going."

Ford gestured for McKay to follow him out, but Rodney was reluctant to go. He crouched beside Sheppard, and made eye contact, "Be careful."

Sheppard quirked his eyebrows with a half-grin, "I'm touched McKay."

Rodney pulled back, "Don't be, I just don't want to get used to some one else, especially that overloaded Bates."

Sheppard shrugged, leaning closer to McKay before he could pull away, "I promise I won't tell anyone that you actually _care_." Sheppard had begun to see through McKay's self-important façade before anyone else. Underneath the cowardly exterior was a man who would give as much as anyone else to save those around him.

Rodney didn't reply, waving at Ford and leaving the Jumper. Sheppard was right. He did care. He cared more than he thought he would, for all of them. He wasn't used to opening up and letting people in, and it scared him. When Carter was working to save Teal'c he had realized that nothing short of a solution that produced Teal'c alive was going to satisfy her and it wasn't because she was dedicated. She was that, but she was also Teal'c's friend, and it made her vulnerable. He didn't want that vulnerability but it had happened, and he knew Sheppard knew. It galled him and at the same time pleased him. Sheppard has seen through him and believed in him. He could only hope he wouldn't let the man down along with everyone else.

* * *

Beckett produced two syringes, examining them closely, then pulling out an alcohol pad. He propped the band-aid and cotton on his knee, and tapped the liquid, squeezing out any air in the syringe.

"What is that?" Sheppard asked nervously. While he wasn't afraid of needles, he wasn't convinced that Beckett wasn't going to sedate him despite his assurances to the contrary.

Carson smiled, "A neuroleptic to control your seizures, and a stimulant to keep you on your feet." Beckett helped the Major bare a shoulder and swiped the area quickly with the sterilizing pad. He deftly injected both into the Major's muscles, and stuck the band-aid on the site where blood welled out in small burgundy droplets.

"_Ouch_," Sheppard stared accusingly at Beckett.

"Don't be a baby." Carson admonished, slipping the caps on the syringes, and putting the supplies into a hazardous waste disposal bag. It was a temporary solution until they reached Atlantis and could put it in the proper disposal.

"I think I see where McKay is picking up his bedside manner." Sheppard said, scowling at the Doctor and then at Teyla when she threatened to laugh.

"Up with you now, and quit your bellyaching." Carson tugged Sheppard on to his unsteady feet, cautiously pulling his support away to see if the Major could remain upright on his own.

Sheppard was up but he didn't feel good. His stomach rolled a bit and he was thankful he hadn't eaten much in a while. He must have betrayed his condition because Beckett clucked sympathetically, "Nausea is a common side-effect of the drug, it'll pass."

He didn't reply, but started walking out of the Jumper. Teyla jogged even with him and Beckett followed closely behind. "Where do we begin?" Carson asked. It was a big ship.

Sheppard held a hand for the life-signs detector that Teyla had in her hand. Taking it from her, he examined the information, searching for any sign that would indicate Frank's position. There wasn't a chance in hell of finding the barely alive Wraith if they had to rely on checking each one; the ship was too large for such a feat.

The detector wasn't giving anymore than it had previously. He sighed, and handed it back to Teyla, "I guess it's going to be up to me and my gut." He only wished his _gut_ wasn't feeling so sick.

* * *

"How much farther Major?" Carson asked. He felt like a little kid bugging his Dad, but he was getting tired. They had gone up and down corridors on the ship, and once the creepy feeling had given away to fatigue, he was not only tired, but also worried about Sheppard. If he was worn out, then Sheppard was probably dead on his feet. The stimulant wouldn't keep him going forever.

Sheppard had tried to focus on Frank using his mind. It was hokey, but it was all he had. He had led Beckett and Teyla for over an hour around the Hive ship, never sure of where they were going. He felt something…he wasn't sure what. It was like background noise; present, but indistinguishable from everything else. He was certain it was Frank. "I think…" Sheppard focused his eyes ahead. That background noise had suddenly become deafening. "Here."

Teyla searched the dim gloom ahead, trying to find sign of this Wraith that Major Sheppard was inexplicably linked to. She inched forward, and was able to see what looked like a body ahead. "I see something." She whispered.

Sheppard nodded, he knew it was Frank. "Beckett, see if it's still alive."

Carson blanched, "How the bloody hell am I supposed to do that?"

Sheppard straightened, "You're not afraid, are you?" He couldn't resist the jab.

"Major, I'd be crazy _not_ to be afraid." Beckett replied, his Scots accent as thick as his apprehension at the thought of approaching the downed Wraith.

"Trust me when I say it isn't going to jump up and eat you." Sheppard assured the man. "Teyla?" Teyla could sense Wraith; she might have picked up on something.

Teyla was almost on top of the body, and knelt in close. She cocked her head slightly, as if listening to something that no one else could hear. She nodded, "It is alive."

"Well then," Sheppard clapped his hands together, "It's show time."

Beckett didn't like the sound of this. "You aren't seriously going to seek it out?"

"That's the point Doctor." Sheppard drawled. He needed to find Frank and get some answers. Now he had the leverage to hopefully force the Wraith into giving up some intel, no matter how insignificant it seemed to Frank. The slightest slip could give them the edge they needed. He knew that if what the Wraith said was true, and he was changing into one of them, Beckett wouldn't be able to help him here. They needed to get back to Atlantis. They couldn't leave, and they were being herded towards a possibly greater enemy than the Wraith. It was crunch time and he hoped he could pull out a Hail Mary, because if he didn't, they were all in for a lot of trouble. "Knock me out."

"No!" Beckett declared, "This is insanity. Whatever it's doing to you, going back into that state is dangerous."

"The Major is right Doctor. It's the only thing he _can_ do." Teyla argued in Sheppard's defense, "Eventually he will succumb, it's better if he does so on his own terms."

"Major, as your doctor, I'm advising against this." Beckett said. He didn't like it, and he wanted it noted.

"Fine, now do it." Sheppard understood Beckett's concern but it didn't change what he knew he had to do. He lay down, a healthy distance from Frank's body, and waited while Beckett prepared the sedative.

Teyla knelt by his shoulders, "We'll be with you Major." She could read the Major's unspoken worry and his resolve.

Sheppard nodded, and felt the needle slide into his arm. The liquid traced a line of cold upwards and then he was cold all over. He realized his eyes had closed and opened them, not surprised to find Teyla and Beckett gone. He took a deep breath, steeling himself for the confrontation to come. He wasn't letting Frank go this time without answers.

"Frank, we need to talk!" He shouted.


	8. The Greater Threat

AN: As always, thanks for the reviews, it is much appreciated! Starstruck, I meant to comment the other day I love your new nick! Redick, you would be right, the end is approaching, hard to believe but all good things...(at least I hope you all think this fic is a good thing).

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

**The Greater Threat**

* * *

"Frank!" Sheppard called, louder than before. The Wraith was being oddly reticent. "We need to talk!" 

John thought he felt something brush by his arm. He turned abruptly and fought hard not to flinch when Frank was beside him.

"I have no need to talk with you."

"I think you do. I think _you_ are the reason why I keep winding up here." Sheppard disagreed. If he was right, and he was fairly certain he was, Frank was bringing him to this place with his telepathic abilities. "I think…" Sheppard started, pushing himself closer to the Wraith, "That _you_ need _me_."

Frank remained aloof. "And what makes you so sure, Major Sheppard?" It asked coldly.

"It seems to me that you are the one lying senseless on the floor of your ship, while we are walking aroundfindingall your dirty little secrets." Sheppard poked. He wanted to get to Frank, make him mad enough to say more than he intended.

Frank grinned nastily; "I am not the only one lying senseless on _my_ floor."

Sheppard chuckled, "Touché. I'll give you that, but the difference is, I wake back up and you don't. Do you know where I am Frank?" His demeanor had started out playful and sharpened to a point at the final question.

Frank couldn't hide the flash of worry, and Sheppard saw it. "I see you do know where I am."

"If you kill me, you will never find a way to save yourself." Frank threatened.

"How right you are!" Sheppard exclaimed, "But we seem to be at an impasse because you've said you won't help me." Sheppard was walking around Frank, circling like a vulture waiting for it's prey to cease fighting for its life.

Frank's eyes followed Sheppard, but his body remained rigid. "You said you would not let me live."

Sheppard had said that, and he knew it was still a true statement, which left him with a conundrum. He hated to lie; despite the circumstance it was morally wrong. It wasn't lost on him that he had not long ago pointed out to Doctor Weir the necessity of breaking the rules of morality when it came to dealings with the Wraith. "I lied." That was the truth, not the truth the Wraith believed he was getting.

Sheppard came to a stop directly in front of Frank. "We'll leave. You can have your ship, and your life. Tell us how to release the automated defenses. Tell us what did this to you and your crew." He ordered persuasively.

Frank appeared to consider the offer. Sheppard thought he might have made progress, but then Frank shot his hope to hell in a hand basket. "It is all ready too late."

"What do you mean _too late_?" Sheppard asked with an air of fatality. He was afraid he all ready knew what he meant.

Frank seemed to look off into the frigid blackness. His voice dropped to a raspy flutter on a swift breeze, "They are coming."

And Sheppard felt his eyes pulled towards that inky dark ahead, and he did feel it. Like a soft glove sliding over a familiar hand, it slipped over his body and clung to his soul. It was foul and fearsome and he felt a fear that the Wraith had never inspired in him before. His eyes widened and he could only stare at Frank who was regarding him with…_regret_?

"We've reached them and now it's too late, for everyone."

* * *

Doctor Zelenka had managed to coax more speed out of the Hive ship than McKay had believed possible. He wasn't sure if it was dumb luck or a feat of scientific discovery, but they had maintained a distance from the four ships that were tailing them. The bad news was they were no closer towards discovering a routine to shut down the automated defenses and they were fast approaching the location that the Wraith logs indicated had been the source of whatever disaster had befallen this ship previously. 

Zelenka felt a whisper. A soft disturbance of the air, a shift, and it turned cold. "McKay!" Zelenka hissed.

Rodney had frozen in place, listening and feeling with every sense. Something had changed. "I know." He whispered back at Zelenka, remaining still.

"What's going on?" Markham asked from near the doorway.

"I don't know, now shut up." McKay ordered, trying to concentrate on the changes in the room. Temperature was rapidly dropping. A slight breeze had begun, _how did a breeze start in a ship?_

Zelenka shivered inside his standard issue jacket. He stared at the sensors and realized something had changed. "They're pulling back!"

McKay turned and looked at Zelenka, the frown still evident from trying to determine the events around them. He saw Zelenka pointing to the display and the look of excitement written across his face. "What do you mean, pulling back?" He snapped.

"Look for yourself." Zelenka said, indicating the panel.

The ramifications of what he was seeing were not lost on McKay. The Hive ships were breaking off their pursuit. He could only think of one reason why they would do that. They were going to die anyway.

The room was now freezing. McKay could see puffs of white from his teammates with each exhale. He stared at the display. They hadn't reached the previous coordinates but they were close. It had to be related and it wasn't boding well. He shook his head, more to himself than anyone in the room, "We need to get out of here."

"How do we do that?" Ford asked, a level of panic present in his voice.

McKay didn't know but the urge to get the hell out of dodge was almost overwhelming. "I don't know Lieutenant, but I think we'd better figure it out, now."

* * *

Sheppard struggled to maintain calm, "What do you mean it's too late?" 

Frank displayed rank outright fear. "We are all dead now. You were foolish to return to this course."

Sheppard had seen many things with the Wraith, but never before had he seen one display anything closely resembling scared, but this one was. Not even when he had pierced the Marilyn Manson Wraith Keeper's belly with the sharp end of their stun weapon, had he seen open fear displayed. Instead, she had gloated in what would be their certain death. "We had no choice."

"Was it not you that told me there are always choices?" Frank commented with what Sheppard could only describe as snideness.

Sheppard licked his lips, "Yeah, I did." _The things that come back to bite you in the ass, he thought wryly._

"Look, Frank…there's still time. Help us, and we'll help you." Sheppard offered, wanting to appear legitimate and the entire time cringing inwardly that their help towards Frank would be to finish him off.

Frank read him like a book. "I would rather see you die."

Sheppard scowled at Frank, "That makes two of us." He admitted.

Another wave of icy air buffeted the two. Sheppard turned away from Frank, startled at the chill, and sought to seek out the source. When he turned back, Frank was gone. "Frank?"

His voice echoed in this netherworld and there was no reply. For the first time, Sheppard believed Frank was truly gone. He didn't feel his presence and he couldn't fight against the stifling feeling of being alone. He felt a panic well up from within and wanted out of here. The problem, he was sedated. His body was lying somewhere and he couldn't wake up. He screamed a quiet scream and prayed Beckett would get him out of here.

* * *

Teyla sensed a break in her awareness. Sheppard's head was pillowed on her lap, and at first she stared at him, looking for any sign that he had stirred or made some sound, but he remained lifeless. She shifted her attention to Beckett, but he was maintaining watch on the Major's vitals. It wasn't until she addressed that awareness on a subliminal level that was Frank that she realized what had happened. 

"He's dead." She said.

"He most certainly is not." Beckett denied, mistaking Teyla's comments to be in regards to Sheppard.

"The Wraith." Teyla clarified.

Beckett cringed, "Are you sure?"

Teyla nodded, "Can you wake the Major?"

"Aye." Beckett was more than happy to do so. They could get Sheppard on his feet and get the heck out of creepsville, and that would be just fine by him. Sheppard's neck was a massive blotch of inflamed tissue at this point, and he had begun to run a moderate fever, both of which alarmed him. He hoped that McKay and Zelenka had figured out a way to get off this ship and safely home.

He was preparing the hypodermic when he felt an involuntary shiver course through his frame. It felt colder, much colder. He lifted his head and peered into the corridor searching for any cause of the drop in temperature, but the dim lighting revealed nothing. "Teyla, did it get colder in here?"

"I believe so." Teyla answered, gently lowering Sheppard's head to the ground, and standing cautiously, pulling out one of the guns she had learned to operate. "Now would be a good time to wake the Major." She said urgently.

Something was there. They couldn't see it, but they both could feel it, and the urge to get away was overwhelming. Beckett plunged the needle home, and absently tossed it back in his bag, not noticing when it fell to the side on the floor. "Come on Major, wake up!" He called, thankful the stimulant should work quickly.

As if on cue, Sheppard groaned, and his eyes cracked a miniscule amount. "Frank's gone." He said, his voice hoarse, and Beckett wasn't sure if it was from the cold or from the cottonmouth one gets with being drugged.

"Teyla told me." He confirmed for Sheppard. "Did you find anything?"

Sheppard shook his head, still recovering from the sedative, and trying to shake off the last dregs of unconsciousness. "Something bad is happening. I couldn't get Frank to give me anything, and then he was gone."

Sheppard reached out for help up, which Beckett was more than happy to provide. There was an air of vulnerability to their party in this lonely corridor that cut to the bone, and made him want to run back to the Jumper or rendezvous with the other group. "We need to get you back to Atlantis."

"I know."

Teyla rejoined the two men, "There is nothing up ahead, but I feel something…"

"Something very _very_ bad." Sheppard supplied the rest. "I think it finished off Frank."

"We need to find the others." Teyla took the lead, letting Beckett help Sheppard.

"Radio?" Sheppard queried. Teyla's negative shake confirmed his fear they were cut-off for the time being from the rest of the Atlantis group. "Head for the Jumper." He ordered. He could only hope McKay would follow.

* * *

"The radio won't work." Markham had clicked the button, pulled the radio off his vest, and tried Stackhouse's, all to no avail. Something was jamming their signal. 

McKay felt himself throttling into full-blown explosion. "How can the radios not work, they worked five minutes ago?"

Ford was used to McKay's momentary panic attacks when the situation went south, and knew the doom and gloom would follow, and then someone would snap him out of it and he would focus on finding a solution. He figured this would be a good time to fast-forward McKay to the solution part. "McKay, get over it and figure out a way to get us out of here!"

McKay snapped his teeth shut, having been on the verge of a tirade against the Wraith, the Major, and this whole debacle. _Solution, right, he could do that_, he thought fervently. _He was intelligent, genius even; he'd figure something out_.

The Jumper would be working. The Hive ships systems had gone down when whatever it was the Hive shiphad re-encountered. He didn't know what it was, but he had to believe the Jumper would be able to provide some answers. "The Jumper. We need to get back to the Jumper." McKay could only hope that the others had done the same.


	9. Deep Sleep

AN: Would you all be surprised at how much perverse pleasure I'm getting out of knowing I've creeped you out?

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

**Deep Sleep**

* * *

Sheppard leaned heavily on Beckett. They were creeping slowly towards the Jumper and hoping like hell the rest of the team had the same idea. They knew they had found whatever it was that had killed the Wraith and it wasn't acting friendly. They came to a junction, and took the right corridor. They had gone only a few feet when Sheppard heard a scuffling noise behind them. "Teyla!" John called quietly, alerting her to the danger and gesturing for her to come back towards him and Beckett.

They flattened themselves against the wall. Sheppard saw Beckett grimace with distaste as his back sunk into the gelatinous wall. It _was_ slightly nauseating, although that might be the result of the drugs in his system. John readied his weapon and nodded at Teyla. They could hear the footsteps coming closer. Right when the shadowy figure came around the corner, Sheppard lurched at the shape, driving it to the floor and straddling it in a clumsier motion than he had intended, but getting the job done.

"Sheppard?" Rodney grunted, "What…?"

"McKay?" Sheppard pulled back, staring at the stunned figure lying on the ground. Sure enough Rodney McKay was flat on his back, a mixture of shock and annoyance plastered on his face.

"Do I _look_ like a Wraith?" McKay snarled. "On second thought, don't answer that."

"Major!" Lieutenant Ford exclaimed, relieved to have met up with the missing members of their party. "The radios weren't working."

"We noticed." Sheppard replied, still down on his haunches, trying to gather the strength to get back up. He probably should've let Teyla jump McKay, but he hadn't known it was McKay at the time. His plan had been to take it down and let Teyla finish it off, as she was the one in better condition for hand-to-hand combat. If he were feeling better, he would've enjoyed the fact that he knocked McKay on his ass.

McKay rolled to his feet, and brushed his pants free of whatever might be littering the floor. "We were heading back to the Jumper." He straightened his jacket, still glaring at the Major.

"Aye, so were we. There's something…" Beckett started, trailing off as everyone's attention was taken over by another stiff breeze. "That's unnatural, that is." He said instead.

Zelenka nodded, agreeing mutely. "We should go." Ford prodded. Markham and Stackhouse helped Sheppard to his feet.

"Teyla, you and Ford take the lead, we'll follow at the rear. McKay, you and Zelenka get in the middle with Beckett." Sheppard wanted the doctors protected if this thing came at them before they made it to the safety of the Jumper. He could only hope they would find safety inside the Ancient's vehicle.

McKay and Beckett took Sheppard's arms from the two Sergeants'. "You'll be joining us son." Beckett said, and he wasn't giving Sheppard the option to decline.

Sheppard opened his mouth to argue but Beckett's free hand came up, "Don't bother arguing with me lad, you aren't strong enough to take us both, and I'm guessing McKay would probably enjoy the chance to throw you down right about now to get my point across."

McKay smiled wide, illuminated by Ford's flashlight. "As a matter of fact, I would."

"Shut up McKay." Sheppard grouched. "Just…get moving." He said, defeated. He knew it made sense but it didn't make him feel better about having his weakness exposed for everyone to see.

They began to move towards the Jumper. It was getting colder in the corridors as they wound their way through the Hive ship. McKay thought he saw a shadow flit by in his peripheral vision. He fought to keep his eyes forward, focusing on getting to the Jumper.

Sheppard was experiencing the same visions and he could feel the edge of panic begin to invade his mind. It felt as if they were back on Athos and the Wraith had subjected them to hallucinations of things that weren't there, always just out of sight, making you think you were surrounded but reality was, nothing was there. This time he was afraid something _was_ there.

He could tell by the jerking motion of those around him, the visions weren't a solitary event. "Faster!" He barked to Teyla and Ford. The time for stealth was gone. They broke into a jog, being chased to the Jumper by shadows of beings they didn't know; urgency broke over them carried on wings of ice. The Jumper was ahead; a tantalizing island of safety that he could only hope wouldn't prove to be a mirage. "Go, go!" He shouted, louder.

They ran into the rear hatch as if the hounds from hell were nipping at their feet. Ford slammed the control, and they all watched with bated breath while it slowly progressed upwards, sealing them inside their tomb. Sheppard collapsed onto the bench, his energy reserves depleted; he could not keep himself up. McKay and Beckett were as worn as the Major, having to support his weight coupled with the adrenalin rush from their fear.

"Do you think it will hold?" Markham asked McKay, who had activated the shield.

McKay didn't know. They didn't even know what the shield was holding out. They hadn't seen anything solid or physical. "It'll hold." He said. _Think positively_, he remembered those words not so long ago from Sheppard. It might kill him to do it, but he would. "I'm Mr. Positive." He muttered under his breath.

"You didn't happen to turn off the automated defenses, did you?" Sheppard finally had recovered enough to ask.

"Not exactly." Zelenka replied sheepishly. "We did figure out how to accelerate."

"Great." Sheppard croaked, "We can't get out of here but we can speed up to our certain doom."

"Did you and McKay trade personalities?" Beckett looked from Rodney to John surprised that McKay wasn't the one spouting sarcastic death sentences while John was.

"I resent that." McKay snapped.

Sheppard rolled his eyes, "You're not the only one. I _like_ lemons."

"I'm allergic, it's not something I can control." He stated defensively. Everyone on Atlantis knew about his fear of lemons.

Markham and Stackhouse watched the interchange with a sick fascination before Markham interrupted, "We're about to be killed and you guys are arguing about _lemons_?"

Sheppard narrowed his eyes at the two soldiers, "Don't hold back any suggestions."

Teyla was the one who spoke up. "Major, did it not seem as if they were attacking in a similar manner as the Wraith?"

It did. They had experienced something out there and yet had seen no physical evidence of these new bad guys. "McKay?" Sheppard asked, but McKay was all ready on it, moving to the front of the Jumper and checking the display.

"Nothing." He confirmed what they were all beginning to suspect.

"So what are they? Figments of our imagination or ghosts?" Ford asked.

"Telepathic weapon?" Zelenka theorized. "Maybe they don't have solid form, like that energy being we encountered before?"

"How do we fight against something you can't destroy?" Stackhouse asked, bewildered by the concepts being slung around the Jumper.

"We don't even know if they're against us?"

"Lieutenant, what we experienced moments ago didn't strike me as particularly friendly." Sheppard reminded Ford.

Carson had been quiet, listening to the team discussing ideas, when a thought occurred to him. If it was using telepathy, like the Wraith, but without having a corporeal body, could they hide from this enemy? "Major, what do you think would happen if it could no longer sense anyone on the ship?"

Sheppard frowned at Beckett, "It wasn't around when we first arrived."

"…Which means it left it alone when it believed they were dead." McKay finished.

"How are we supposed to mimic death?" Ford asked, not sure he wanted to know the answer judging by the gleam in Beckett's eyes.

McKay must have followed along with Ford's thought, "Oh no…no way." He said vehemently.

"It'll work, I promise." Beckett cajoled. "For all intents and purposes, the thing will sense nothing on this ship. We continue on course and in a few hours we'll wake up, refreshed, and then we get out of here and go home."

"We _still_ don't know how to get out of here." Zelenka reminded Beckett. He wasn't thrilled with the idea anymore than McKay.

Carson took a deep breath, "Look, that thing or things out there is going to kill us if we do nothing. If we're right, this shield isn't going to fool it forever. We can deal with getting off this ship when we wake up, at least at that point we'll still be alive, which is more than we can say if we don't come up with an alternative plan."

Carson's lecture sobered McKay. "Are you sure it's safe?"

"Mostly." Beckett replied. He didn't want to get into all the possibilities of what could go wrong.

"Mostly." McKay repeated, shaking his head in a combination of resignation and disbelief.

There was a lot of internal debating taking place. Each person trying to tackle their inner demons regarding this option while searching for something, anything that would offer a better, and safer, solution. "What if the Wraith show up on the other side?" Ford asked, after moments had ticked by.

"Then we're dead anyway." McKay snapped. "I think I disabled the distress signal. It's something."

Sheppard realized he was going to have to make the final decision, and at a time where he wasn't thinking all that clearly. He didn't like the options before them…or rather the lack of options, but he couldn't come up with anything better. "Do it."

"Are you sure Major?" Beckett asked. He almost hoped his idea would get dismissed or they'd think of something better. He didn't feel much better about it than anyone else, probably even more so because he knew everything that could go wrong.

"No, I'm not, but I can't come up with anything better and I think we're running out of time." He shivered, "Is it just me, or is it colder in here?"

"It's not just you." McKay had noticed the drop also. They were running out of time. "Fine, I'll do it." He said crossly, pinning Beckett with a fierce look, "If I die, I'll haunt you forever."

"Rodney, if you die, we'll probably be dead along with you." Carson said.

"Then I'll haunt your ghost."

"Knock it off." Sheppard warned, "What do you need us to do?"

Beckett began prepping the syringes. "Find a comfortable spot, you'll be in it for a while."

"How long is a while?" Markham asked warily, making a pillow out of his jacket.

"I'm going aim for a dosage that should keep us under for approximately four to six hours. Hopefully, it'll be long enough." Beckett looked at McKay for confirmation.

"It should, at the speed we're going, it should bring us at least as far away from this location as the ship was when we found it, just the other direction."

"Teyla, help the Major." Beckett ordered, approaching Stackhouse, who had propped himself in the pilot's chair. He swabbed the Sergeant's arm and slid the needle home before he could protest. He had Zelenka, Markham and Ford under in less than five minutes.

Teyla had helped Sheppard down, covering him with a blanket from the emergency kit. He smiled reassuringly, not wanting to tell her how much he appreciated her efforts. He didn't want to admit how much his body had begun to ache.

McKay propped himself beside Sheppard, Teyla to their left and a spot on the Major's right for Beckett. Carson deftly administered the sedative to Teyla, and patted her shoulder with a comforting hand as she drifted off. "Your turn Rodney."

McKay had a momentary flash of panic, staring at the Jumper's ceiling, "Haunt your ghost…ouch!" He yelped as the injection slid into his arm. "That hur…"

"Go to sleep Rodney." Beckett said as the scientist drifted off. "Now you Major."

Sheppard nodded, steeling himself, not against the needle, but against his own fear of being rendered helpless and knowing everyone around him was as well. "Don't take to long on yourself." He reminded Carson as he felt himself going under from the drug. He vaguely heard Beckett answer, and then he was asleep.

Beckett couldn't help the shiver of fear at being the only one remaining awake. He quickly dropped down beside Sheppard, and picked up the last syringe, and before he could think about it, slid it home, barely managing to withdraw the needle as the drug took effect. His last thought was a prayer that they'd all wake up, because despite his assurances to the others, he wasn't entirely convinced it would work. His arm dropped to the floor, the needle rolling inches to the side.

Outside the ship, forces fought to gain entrance, finally breaking through and seeking for that which they had felt before. Like a beam of anger, it jumped from atom to atom in the environment and found nothing.


	10. A Wraith In Time

AN: Nope, it wasn't the end, I'm pleased to bring you yet another cliffhanger. This chapter had me on the edge of my seat, and _I_ wrote it. I hope it has the same effect on you!

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

**A Wraith In Time**

* * *

Sheppard couldn't stop the pounding in his head. It had begun shortly after he had woken, and proceeded to increase at an exponential level with each moment in time. At the rate it was progressing, he figured his head was going to explode and solve the looming crisis for him. 

He could hear murmurs from the others around him. They had woken up, and everyone was relieved to have discovered they were alive. More than one hadn't expected to ever see the light of day again. Of course, they hadn't _really_ seen the light of day yet, but there was still hope. It appeared that the hypothesis of the being, or beings, that killed the Wraith worked on a telepathic level, had been a correct one. _How_ they killed the Wraith was still unknown, but it had to have been some type of attack on a mental plane, which explained why their bodies had appeared untouched, with the exception of the gruesome visages etched permanently on their faces.

John had been the last to recover from the sedative. Not much of a surprise as he was degenerating at an alarming rate. He felt a weakness inside that he had never felt before, the pounding in his skull, and he was starting to feel as if he were coming out of his skin. He scratched an area on his wrist absently while trying to listen to the conversation. He realized the scientists were brainstorming a way off this ship. They had escaped, but everyone knew it was only temporary. The Hive ships that had been tailing them wouldn't be far off. He didn't know if they'd try to go around, _around_ being somewhat relative in space, or try to throttle through and lose ships in a direct attempt. The last McKay had seen were the four Hive ships pulling back.

He scratched his neck. He was hot. He wanted to go home. It struck him that _home_ was now Atlantis. He no longer thought of Earth when he thought of going home. He scratched the itch on his wrist again.

"Major." Teyla called softly.

He opened his eyes. Teyla was bending over him. _When did she leave the group_? "Teyla?" He licked his dry lips.

Teyla leaned in, and propped his head forward, bringing a canteen with fresh water to his mouth, holding it steady while he fought to swallow. "How do you feel?"

"Hot." He admitted. He felt like someone had turned his internal thermostat into overdrive.

"Doctor Beckett said your fever has risen."

John fought to keep his hands off his neck. It was itching abominably. "Where is Beckett?" He craned his head trying to see where everyone was. He thought everyone had been in the Jumper and now he only saw Teyla and himself.

"Doctor McKay and Doctor Zelenka believe they have figured a way out of this ship. Doctor Beckett wanted to accompany them to the other Jumper for more medical supplies." Teyla answered. She was watching the Major with fear. He was pale, sweaty, and some kind of rash was appearing on his skin. It almost looked like…

"What are you staring at?"

Teyla couldn't prevent the involuntary gasp, "Your skin!"

Sheppard stared at her, puzzled, following her eyes down to his wrist. The spot that had been itching was changed. The skin had taken on a sick greenish hue, and turning patchy, almost scaly. He fought to hold back the bile from rising. _Oh god_, he was changing.

* * *

"How much C-4 should I use?" Ford was holding several packs, stacked one on another, in his hands. 

McKay scowled, "Use it all." He wanted to make sure this ship was blasted to its most basic components. His plan was to begin the chain reaction in the engine core. The other systems should fall, but in case they didn't, there was C-4 against the bulkhead to blow the wall out and still allow them to escape. Either way, they were getting off this flying coffin. The Jumper's shields should protect them…at least he hoped.

Beckett held another bag in his hand. "I'm ready."

"Zelenka, stay on Jumper Two, wait for Markham and Stackhouse. They'll ride with you on the return trip, that way if anything goes wrong you can fix it. Ford, once you get back from setting the C-4, pick a ship. I'll be in Jumper One with the Major, Carson and Teyla." McKay wasn't sure how he'd wound up issuing the orders, but he had.

Everyone nodded. Markham holstered his berretta in favor of the larger P-90, while Ford shouldered a pack he'd filled with the explosive, and Stackhouse followed the two out, holding the life-signs detector, even though previously it had proved largely unhelpful. It was all they had.

"Check in!" McKay called at their retreating backs. Ford waved a brief acknowledgement before they faded into the darkness.

* * *

Ford surveyed the room. This was where McKay had said to plant the C-4. When he had asked where exactly in the room, McKay had merely said _everywhere_. He had thought about making a snide comment about the helpfulness of certain scientists but figured it was counterproductive, and he was still feeling out the man who was Rodney McKay. While the Major seemed to have found a type of fighting friendship with the guy, Ford wasn't sure whether he'd get rational McKay or losing it McKay during any given time. He had managed to deal with him effectively in the Jumper when their lives were about to be snuffed out along with the open wormhole after the fiasco with the Major and that funky bug, but he wasn't sure if it was dumb luck, or even if he could replicate the strategy. 

"Keep your eyes out." Ford ordered, setting the bag down and pulling out three chunks of the stuff. He figured some locations looked more promising than others, and he began to set-up the explosive in those areas first.

He was beginning to work up a sweat when he reached in the bag and came up with the last pack of C-4. _Thank God_, he thought. He was not enjoying this experience and hoped like hell they made it back to Atlantis in one piece. He was beginning to have his doubts.

"Lieutenant, I realize you are having fun, but how much longer is it going to take?" The voice crackled over his radio, causing him to jerk.

"Damn!" He swore, as he steadied himself with a deep breath, "I told you I'd check in when we were through."

"No, you didn't. You waved." McKay argued. "Move faster, the Major is bad."

Ford set the last pack, "We're done."

"Good, get back here, ASAP." McKay replied, shutting the connection.

Ford took one final look at the room. It was ready. "Let's go." He ordered, grabbing the rucksack from the ground, and moving back towards the Jumpers.

* * *

Stackhouse was leading the party, his gun was held out, hand tight and ready. He'd handed the life-signs detector off to Markham, taking a turn on watch, as they made steady progress back towards the others. 

"There's something coming." Markham spoke up from behind.

Stackhouse glanced over his shoulder, still looking forward, "What do you mean?"

"Look." Markham held out the instrument for Ford and Stackhouse to see the white dot approaching ahead.

Ford clicked his radio, "Doctor McKay, is everyone with you?"

"Yes." McKay's voice answered irritably, "Why?"

"I think we've got company." Ford told him, waving for Markham and Stackhouse to fan out against the wall. "Is there any way back to the Jumper that doesn't take this corridor?"

There was a pause; he figured McKay was checking the data bank he had managed to download. "No." The voice echoed flatly through his headpiece.

Ford nodded, a mixture of accepting the situation, and thinking through the course of action that lie ahead. "Right." He said, "McKay, have Zelenka ready with Jumper Two, we're going to be coming in hot."

He turned to address the other two soldiers, who despite the situation remained cool on the outside, though he figured they were probably quaking inside as much as he was. "We're going to charge straight through. We can't defeat it; we don't have the ordinance to risk it. Run like hell, fire like crazy, and get back to the Jumper."

They shared a quiet moment of preparation. Ford waited till he thought they were ready, then grabbed his gun hard and ran like his life depended on it, the irony that it probably did wasn't lost on him. He could only hope they'd make it.

* * *

Sheppard's eyes flew open. "Ford?" He rasped. 

Beckett was sitting beside him, and looked at McKay when Sheppard had said Ford's name. McKay stared ahead, refusing to make eye contact and looking for all the world like his best friend had died. He knew Ford and the other two were in trouble.

"Where is he?" Sheppard persisted. "I feel something…" He felt like hell, but this was different. He could sense those around him in a different way…and what he thought was Ford was like a heartbeat flying out of control. He didn't know how to explain it.

"He'll be here soon." Beckett said, leaving out the fact that if they did manage to make it back, there'd most likely be a Wraith back with them, hot on their heels. He didn't know how they'd manage to deal with it. Zelenka had powered up Jumper Two.

Sheppard struggled to get on his feet, "Help me."

Beckett shook his head, "Absolutely not Major; you are in no shape to go anywhere."

"Teyla?" Sheppard pleaded.

"Major, what do you think you can accomplish, you're barely able to stand on your feet?" McKay asked peevishly. It was bad enough that three of their people were racing back, on a ship rigged to blow sky high, if they were _in_ a sky, and now Sheppard was trying to be a hero and get himself killed.

Sheppard shot a dark look at McKay, "Something's wrong, I can feel it, and you won't tell me. If Ford's in danger, he needs back-up."

"And you're going to give it?" McKay asked incredulously. "You can't even get up on your own."

"I only need to be propped up with a gun. We'll cover them." He countered.

McKay didn't want to persist on how the Major even knew what was going on, because without anyone telling him, John had a grasp of the situation. He debated internally the intelligence of allowing Sheppard's request, knowing that if they denied it, the Major was in no condition to do a thing about it.

Before he could say anything, Teyla was helping Sheppard to his feet, and easing him towards the rear. "Open the hatch." She instructed softly.

* * *

The Wraith lunged at Ford, who let loose with all he had, hoping desperately it would be enough to knock it back. Markham and Stackhouse opened fire as well. The Wraith jerked with each shot as it was peppered with clips of ammo. "Go!" Ford hollered once the Wraith was down and not moving. 

They let their weapons hang on the front, and ran harder than they had ever run in their lives. Ford heard the thing grunt behind them and knew it was getting back on its feet. He also knew those things were incredibly fast. "McKay, we're almost there, and it's right behind us!" He yelled into the radio.

"We're ready Lieutenant." McKay answered anxiously.

Ford hoped they were because if not, things would come to an ugly end, and he had thought of many ways to die, none of which were worse than this. A blaze of glory, saving lives, even old age, but being eaten by some alien monster out of a B movie wasn't what he'd imagined.

Another grunt, and he forced himself not to look behind. Markham began to slow, that small imperceptible gait change, to gauge the enemies' location. Ford yanked his jacket and slung him forward, not breaking stride, "Don't look back!" He hollered.

He could see the Jumpers ahead. Both rear hatches were open, one with Zelenka waiting at the controls, the other with…_crap_, he swore, Major Sheppard and Teyla were hanging on the other one, guns ready. While he was thankful for the cover, he could only hope the Major's aim wasn't impaired because he could tell by the hairs on his back that the Wraith was gaining ground fast.

He saw Markham and Stackhouse break off towards Jumper Two; he lagged behind slightly and hoped that would drag the Wraith after him towards Jumper One, where they were waiting.

"Duck!" Sheppard shouted.

Ford did one better than that, he dove, like a champion diver, and lunged for the Jumper praying he'd make it. He heard the rapid retort of gunfire above his head. Someone grabbed his arms and hauled him in. "Shut it!" He screamed.

Teyla yanked Sheppard back and McKay slammed the control. The rear hatch began to close. They watched anxiously as it slowly made its way shut. The Wraith picked itself up from the floor, it's armor riddled with holes, and a mask of hatred painted on its face, "Major Sheppard!" It snarled.

"Frank?" Sheppard called out with disbelief.

Frank tilted his head, and smiled sickeningly, reaching in with a long arm to grab Sheppard's jacket. Teyla grabbed John, and tried to pry its hand off, meanwhile the hatch continued it's inexorable progress upwards. Frank grinned, his wretched smile the last thing Sheppard saw before the hatch snapped shut, and the Wraith's arm dropped to the floor inside the Jumper. All eyes stared at the offending appendage before Teyla threw her coat over it, and wrapped it up, shoving it in one of the over-head compartments.

"Holy crap." Beckett said, dumbfounded.

"Yeah." McKay agreed.

"Now would be a good time to leave." Sheppard said, hanging on to Teyla.

"Yeah." McKay said again.

"_Now_." Sheppard repeated.

McKay swallowed, and seemed to shake off the stupor. "I'm going." He said, heading towards the controls. "Ford, on my mark, set off the C-4."

Ford followed McKay towards the flight controls. "Got it."

"Zelenka, on three, mark…one…two…_three_!" McKay called.

Ford depressed the button, and they felt the Hive ship ripple with the initial explosions. McKay was monitoring the information scrolling on the display. "It's down!" He called.

Sheppard had been eased on to the floor of the Jumper. "Let's go home." He said, exhausted. There wasn't one person who could muster a better statement, McKay included, who nodded, and nudged the Jumper up and guided it out of the Hive ship's body.

They hadn't gotten far when a blinding flare signaled the death throes of the Hive ship. They'd made it. McKay spared a glance at the wreck on the Jumper floor. Now it was going to be a desperate race to save Sheppard. It would be little comfort if they returned home only to lose the Major in the end.

John shivered in the blankets Teyla had tucked around him. He was awake but lost in a myriad of confusing ghosts. He felt his friends around him, inside him, and knew the hunger alone wasn't the only symptom of his change. The Wraith's telepathic abilities were overwhelming his mind and he couldn't sort out the conflicting input. He had felt Frank die, and it hurt him physically. He wanted to sleep and he wasn't sure he wanted to wake up. He let his eyes slide close and prayed for absolution and deliverance. Echoing in his mind as he lost awareness was the simple words from his childhood. _Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep…_


	11. Killed By The Cure

Edited Version to fix some editing goofs, sorry! Also, another comment follows the end to address a reviewers comment.

AN: This chapter is the final installment in a story that I hope you all enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing. Every author I think has a story that they write, and at the end, look back and think, wow...this is only the second story out of all my previous efforts that I've had that feeling with. It isn't perfect but it really took on a life of it's own that I didn't plan on happening. I want to thank the following readers for taking the time to leave feedback. I usually do not mention individuals unless trying to respond to a specific comment, but this story has found a special place in my heart, and because of that, I attribute a good portion of the motivation and desire to do good because of the people who took the time to review and offer support and information. So Thank you:

**illman**

**fenestrae**

**highonscifi**

**redick4**

**Starstruck-SheylaFan**

**PurpleYin**

**nebbyJ**

**LtCol Carter**

**SK Roberts**

**WriterJC**

**mtee 1958**

**Erisinia **I meant to say the Stargates in space, going to edit that soon, I promise!

**Antares Star**

**ellex**

**minifish**

**cpc439**

**trappedandannoyed**

**Espiritu**

And now, on to the story, but please remember this _is_ a spoiler for The Defiant One, and this chapter is one of the worst regarding information for the episode. Do not read this if you have not seen the episode (unless you don't mind be totally spoiled, because it will)!

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

**Killed By The Cure**

* * *

"How is he?" 

Sheppard heard the question asked but he couldn't hear the answer. He didn't need to hear the answer. He was melting in the infirmary bed, and wondered if he'd just keep melting till there was nothing left but a puddle of sweat. He itched his arm frantically, the urge to rip the skin off almost unbearable. He was hungry, so very hungry. He tried to find a sense of calm. He shifted his shoulders against the material, but the material moved with him, stuck to his sweat-slicked frame.

"Major Sheppard?"

John opened his eyes and saw Elizabeth Weir leaning over him. She looked worried, and tired. He didn't know how long they had been back. He didn't recall their arrival. He was moving in and out of a shadowy world, barely cognizant of time passing and the people around him.

Her nearness set of a cacophony of need within. He was starving. He was going to die if he didn't eat soon. His fingers twitched without thought or cause from his mind. He cried in anger and pain, and reached out towards her chest.

"Restrain him!"

Hands pushed his shoulders back into the thin infirmary mattress, while his forearms were twisted down and forced into restraints. He screamed again, an animal scream. He was hungry. _Why couldn't they see that_? He felt a warm hand gently brush off the trail of a tear from the corner of his eye. He turned his face into the hand, seeking comfort from the same person he'd tried to attack moments before. "End this." He whispered, in a rare moment of clarity.

Weir's mouth tightened, "We're trying Major, but you've got to hang on." She fought to maintain control of her emotions. "You've got to fight this."

But he couldn't reply because he was all ready lost, fallen back into the shadowy world of hunger that had become his own living hell.

* * *

"We need solutions." Doctor Weir was seated at the briefing table. Doctor McKay, and the other members of Major Sheppard's team were also gathered, along with Doctor Beckett. 

Carson sighed, "We're trying, but this protein, it's very elusive." His people had identified the cause of Sheppard's deterioration, but that was only a small victory in the larger war. "I don't know if there _is_ a solution."

"That's not good enough Doctor." Elizabeth reacted strongly to his words.

Carson regarded her evenly, "Doctor Weir, I don't know if there's any magic pill that will make this better, in fact, I highly doubt there is."

McKay rubbed a weary hand across the growing stubble on his chin. "There's got to be something." They had made it back to Atlantis almost twenty-four hours ago, and in that time he had watched the man, who was becoming one of the closest friends he'd ever had, degenerate into some kind of Wraith thing. It felt worse than the day his Dad had come home and told him he'd put down Duke, his Labrador. He'd never owned a dog since.

"Time is running out." Elizabeth said, "If we don't do something soon there won't be a Major Sheppard left in that body." She relived those moments in the infirmary where the man had turned into a monster, and attacked her.

"I know, but think of what we do know, the Wraith are very hard to kill, almost impossible. This protein has resisted every known antibiotic we've tried." Beckett tapped his pen against the table with frustration, "Not surprising, since it's changing the Major on a cellular level and is not bacterial in nature."

"Faking death in the Major worked before." Teyla spoke up. She had been considering all she knew from stories when she was a child. She wasn't sure what was real, or an elaborate imagination from when she was a young frightened girl. "I remember something…my Father spoke to me about this, telling us stories when we were little. Perhaps Halling would recall more."

"Any possibility would help." Beckett sat up straighter in his chair, the first glimmer of hope present for the first time during the briefing, "There may be some tale that talks about saving their people from this type of infection, much like Earth tales of curing people turned into vampires."

"Didn't they describe how to _kill_ vampires?" Ford regarded Beckett soberly.

"Right." Beckett cringed, "Bad analogy."

"It's a valid point, even if a poor comparison." McKay said, "Teyla, talk to Halling, the Major's time is running out."

Teyla stood, and nodded in one fluid motion, heading towards the control room to make contact, and hopefully find the answer to save their friend.

Elizabeth stared at McKay, "Rodney?" She was seeing a side to McKay she hadn't known was there. He had taken charge, moved them forward, and though she would have preferred he waited for her okay, she could understand the emotions behind his actions.

McKay seemed to realize he'd gone over her authority, "Oh, sorry."

"It's okay." Elizabeth smiled, "This time." She would have to talk with Sheppard about McKay's assuming the leadership role. She had all ready given him control over expeditions within the city. Maybe it was to think of giving him more practice as the person in charge, she needed more than one backup to be prepared to take over in case anything happened to her or Major Sheppard. The stark thought hit her that Sheppard might not be available if they couldn't save him hit her like a ton of bricks. _Hang on Major_, she prayed to herself.

* * *

"Are you sure this is safe?" 

Beckett glared at Rodney, "It's not safe that's the point."

"Oh, right."

"Halling told Teyla that he could remember his father telling him the same stories, and that they saved their people by immersing them in the river, until they breathed no more, then brought them forth to the fire, and they were cured." Beckett reiterated what they had been told a short while before.

"Modern interpretation, they drowned the people, then revived them by heating them up." McKay said, his annoyance with medieval ignorance apparent in his tone.

"Something like that." Carson confirmed, "I'm going to go with it being the cold, not the drowning itself. We're going to lower his body temperature until he's clinically dead, then hopefully bring him back to life, the same way we would a severely hypothermic patient."

"Did you know a person can survive a cold drowning?" McKay had grown up in Canada, falling through the ice was a common danger. "There was this kid that was under for over half an hour, and they revived him."

"No way." Ford spoke up from a chair beside the bed, "That's crazy."

"It happened, I read about it in the Canadian Medical Association Journal." McKay said defensively. "Seriously."

"You read the CMAJ?" Beckett asked, incredulous, "You're a physicist, not a medical doctor."

McKay shifted uncomfortably, "I'm always concerned about advances in the medical field. I like to be an informed consumer."

"Doctors!" Weir interrupted further discussion, "How long before we know?"

That drew their attention back to the figure on the bed, covered in a cooling blanket, with wires and tubes poking out from under it in every direction. The blanket hid the black restraints, but they knew they were there.

"Hours, it depends on the person, how rapidly their body cools." Beckett replied, "I'll let you know as soon as I know."

Weir nodded. She wanted to stay, but the city didn't shut down because one life was in danger. There were many tasks she had to oversee, and she could only hope staying busy would keep her mind off of the fear for Sheppard's life. "You do that." She left the room, stopping outside the door and taking a moment to collect her emotions. She hadn't felt this worried since the bug had first latched on to Sheppard, and here he was, fighting for his life again because of it, she only hoped he'd win this time as well.

* * *

"Doctor, here are the latest test results." A friendly nurse with blonde hair handed a handful of papers to Beckett, who was reclined in a chair, feet propped against an empty bed near Sheppard. 

Carson sat up, blearily focusing on the numbers. "It's working!" He crowed.

Figures slumped over in various locations sluggishly responded to his words. McKay was one of the first to gather his body from a dead sleep to a somewhat alert state, "It's working?"

"Yes!" Beckett jumped up, and peered over at the Major, noticing the reduction of green pigment in the Major's skin, and a lessening of redness around the initial bite location.

"How long has he been under?" McKay asked, referring to the clinically dead, hypothermic state.

"Forty minutes." Beckett answered after checking his watch, "We'll begin warming him, but it'll be a slow process."

"We'll he be okay?" Ford couldn't see how a body could be dead for that long and still be all right, regardless of the science behind it.

"I don't know son." Beckett answered truthfully. They had taken a huge leap, but ultimately the Major was going to die, which was the better way? In an attempt at a cure or doing nothing till his friends had to act or he managed to harm someone? He hoped this worked, because if it didn't, he'd have to face the fact that he'd ordered Major Sheppard's death.

* * *

"Major, you need to wake up." McKay stretched his long legs. He ached to the core. They'd taken up vigil once the Major had been certified warm and alive. It had been touch and go, something he hoped to never relive again, lasting longer than the time on the Jumper when his heart had fought to cooperate with Beckett after previously being shocked by Ford. "We need to make sure you didn't lose a few marbles." He cracked. 

He'd hoped the joke would jolt the Major awake, that Sheppard would respond with some equally droll remark, and he'd pretend to not be amused, but the figure remained quiet, lying still under the sheet like a shroud of death waiting to be buried with the dead.

He sighed, and rubbed his knee some more. He wasn't good at this. He didn't know what to say. Carson had said to talk to him. Somehow it seemed ridiculous to tell him that it was another sunny day on the beautiful world of…_hell_, they hadn't even named this planet.

They had been taking turns keeping watch. Ford had gone first, then Teyla, and now it was his turn. He didn't want to be here as much as he _did_ want to be here, talk about conflicted. "Major, don't do this. Wake up." He found himself saying. "I don't know if I can handle losing another so soon after…" His voice cracked before he could say Brendan's name.

The mission report for that debacle had been cold, impersonal. He had stated the facts. _Doctor Gaul used the weapon to end his life, thus allowing me to save Major Sheppard. His sacrifice allowed me to play a part in saving the Major's life, delaying the Wraith's attack, and allowing the rescue team the time required to fire on the Wraith, saving both of us. _What he didn't say was the horror he'd felt over Brendan's actions. He understood why, but he couldn't forgive himself for the small part he had played in his death. Brendan had been right; the Wraith had left him with just enough life so they'd have to watch him die. He wasn't going to get better, he wasn't going to walk away from it, and adding to his guilt was the silent relief that Brendan had ended both their suffering.

"Damn you, wake up!" Rodney snarled, giving in to his anger and feelings of helplessness. He instantly felt contrite, yelling at someone who couldn't defend himself. He closed his eyes, and tried to gain control. He opened them again, and regarded Sheppard with a wearier look than before. "Why won't you just wake up?"

* * *

Later that night, long after McKay had surrendered his vigil to Beckett, Sheppard did wake up. 

"That's good, open those eyes Major." Beckett coaxed.

Sheppard was trying, he really was, but his eyes felt like someone had glued them shut, and it was taking more effort than he thought possible to do something so simple as open them.

"Squeeze my hand if you can hear me." Carson instructed him. That he could do. He felt the warm hand slide over his, which must be the Doctor, and he squeezed for all his worth. He knew it was a weak grasp, but he managed it nonetheless.

"Good." Carson said relieved, "That's very good."

Sheppard didn't think he could do much more, all ready he felt himself drifting back asleep. He tried to fight it, wanting to know what had happened, but it was as if a heavy weight was dragging him back down.

"Rest Major, you'll feel better next time." Carson reassured him, and now he knew there would be a next time.

He stood up, stretched, and waved a nurse over. "Watch him, I've got some very good news to deliver."

* * *

"Should you be up?" 

Sheppard was on the balcony, watching the gentle waves, giving in to their hypnotic effect on his soul. He felt washed up, wrung out, and in need of a long vacation. "Beckett released me this morning."

"You didn't answer my question." McKay pointed out, coming alongside of him.

He hadn't, for a reason. Beckett had released him to his quarters with instructions to stay down for at least another day. He couldn't help it. He needed…he didn't know what he needed, but he knew he didn't need another twenty-four hours in bed. "No, I didn't."

"You're looking better."

"Hell McKay, I could be recovering from a three-day binge and look better." He barked, laughing at the absurdity of the statement.

"I was trying to be polite." McKay said stiffly. "If you want honesty, you look terrible."

"Now there's the McKay I've come to know and love."

Rodney narrowed his eyes, "You want to be alone." He observed. "I'll go."

Sheppard turned away from the lull of the waves, "No, McKay…look, I'm sorry. I'm just…still trying to wrap my mind around what happened."

McKay was quiet, the silence awkward. "Brendan said that to me before, before he…before he killed himself on the Hive ship." He finally spoke, rushing it out before he could think twice and take it back.

Sheppard looked at him, puzzled, "Said what?"

McKay faced him, "Save the day. He said, _Go Rodney, save the day_." McKay's emotions were raw and naked between them, "And then he shot himself."

Sheppard cringed. He remembered his words to McKay on the ship…_let you have the honor of saving the day…_ "Mckay, I'm sorry…"

But McKay was gone. Sheppard released a frustrated breath. _Damn_.

THE END

PurpleYin, yes, I purposefully left it open like this, for two reasons. I want the reader left with this sense of unsettledness. It isn't finished, after all, it never is on the show. And, it does leave the door open to pick back up with another story addressing the issues that happened in this story. And last but not least, I went back and fixed some editing problems I missed the first time around, if I missed more, don't stone me!!


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